NEW ZEALAND PROPOSAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 271, 28 August 1946, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND PROPOSAL

DEFEATED ENEMY COUNTRIES

Strength of Armaments And Armed

Forces

(N.Z. Press Association—-Copyright.) LONDON,.August 27.

They suggested that some provision be inserted in the draft treaties empowering the Security Council to fix these forces and armaments at a level deemed adequate for the maintenance of internalt order, defence Of frontiers and any contributions which the States in question might have to make to the Security Council if and when they became full members of the United Nations.

The New Zealand delegation admitted the force of the objections which might be raised to their proposal and, particularly, the argument that to ask the Security Council to fix the strength of armaments permitted of an exenemy country when that State had become member of the United Nations might be a limitation of sovereignty which would be deemed incompatible with full membership of the United Nations.

New Zealand considered this argument unduly legalistic and recalled that the Council of the League of Nations had undertaken functions unspecifically provided for in the Covenant, but which were consistent with its purposes. In the same way New Zealand hoped the Security Council would take a broad view of its functions and be willing to undertake tasks consistent with the purposes and principles set out in Article 1 of the United Nations Charter. “In our view,” said Brigadier Park, “the paramount consideration is to give the widest. possible authority to the United Nations and to do everything we. can to make it a real factor in maintaining peace and orderly development between “the nations of the world. Since the Security Council has bean given a particular responsibility of the United Nations, we consider every opportunity should be taken by

A suggestion that the Security Council of the United Nations be empowered to fix the strength of armaments and armed forces permitted to defeated enemy countries was made by the New Zealand delegation at the Paris Conference. The proposal was made during the discussion of the military clauses of the draft treaties for Italy, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hup g ary and Finland by the military commission and advanced on behalf of the New Zealand delegation by its representative on the commission, Brigadier R. S. Park. He said New Zealand felt that the powers of the Security w Council should be wider than provided for in the draft treaties, but that they were reluctant to move a formal amendment embodying their ideas until they had an opportunity to ascertain the views of other delegates arid to give further consideration to the implications of their proposal. The New Zealand Government looked forward to the realisation of the international regulation of armaments envisaged in Article 26 of the Charter of the United Nations, and felt,that the first step to achieve this end would be to give the Security Council authority to fix the level of armaments permitted to ex-enemy countries.

member nations to increase the authority and sphere of-' responsibility of that body. “We believe that our suggestion that the Security Council should determine the armaments of ex-enemy States is a basis of approach which is in the general interests of peace,” Brigadier Paris: added. “It would give dynamic control to the Security Council and would impose upon the Security Council a positive duty to secure the maintence of peaceful conditions in the territories of defeated European nations. It would also be a positive beginning to the task of disarmament for which the Security Council has special responsibility.” New Zealand has also advised the conference by 1 means of a memorandum that it does not agree that the signatories to the peace treaties at present under consideration in Paris should be bound to support the membership of the various defeated States for full membership of the United Nations.

New Zealand intimated that she agrees in principle with the proposal that ex-enemy States be allowed to join the United Nations, but wishes to preserve its liberty of action when applications are actually made. “We consider it would be derogatory to the authority of the United Nations to bind our country in advance to support the application of the States,” says the memorandum. New Zealand will not move a formal amendment to the preambles to the draft treaties, but wishes it to be understood that, if it accepts them as drafted, it reserves full liberty of action when applications for membership from ex-enemy countries come before the Council of the ‘ United Nations. ’