Powers of General Assembly

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24568, 17 May 1945, Page 5

Powers of General Assembly

NEW ZEALAND’S WISH PARTLY MET

(Official News Service) (Rec. 11.30 p.m.) SAN FRANCISCO, May 15. In what was acknowledged to be largely a response to an appeal by Mr Fraser to the Great Powers to attempt to find some way of ensuring that the smaller nations should have a more equitable voice in international affairs, the four sponsoring countries of the United Nations conference, together with France, tabled to-day a fresh series of proposals on the functions and powers of the proposed General Assembly.

The new draft was made public after a further meeting this afternoon of the committee dealing with this subject. It was reported that the United States delegate (Mr A. H. Vandenberg), in laying the proposals of the five Powers before the committee, referred directly to the case Mr Fraser had made at previous meetings of the committee, in asking that a more truly proportionate share of the responsibility for the maintenance of peace be granted to all nations.

While he pointed out that the new proposals did not fully meet the desires of New Zealand and other delegations, Mr Fraser welcomed them as evidence of the Great Powers’ understanding of the attitude of the smaller nations—especially those who had in time of war proved their sense of responsibility to the utmost —and as an earnest attempt to overcome their principal criticisms of the Dumbarton Oaks proposals.

The new draft would give the General Assembly the right not only to consider the general principles of co-operation in the maintenance of international peace and security, but also to make recommendations on them to governments or to the Security Council. It would have a similar right of recommendation in the case of any particular security • questions brought before It. The Assembly would also be given the right to call the attention of the Council to situations likely to endanger peace. A restriction to which the New Zealand delegation had objected, and which prevented the Assembly- making on its own initiative recommendations on matters which the Council already had in hand, is modified to a slight extent. The new proposals provide that the Assembly cannot make such Recommendations “unless the Security Council so requests,” An entirely new clause is added, calling on the Secretary-General of the world organisation to notify the Assembly at each session of any matters bearing on international peace and security that . are being dealt with by the Council, and also to notify the Assembly immediately the Council ceases to deal with them. This is intended as a safeguard against excessive delay or evasion on the part of the Council. The committee now proposes to reconsider the amendments before it in the light of the concessions which these new Great Power proposals represent. ' At the same time, from another meeting, the committee is dealing with the enforcement of the decisions of the Security Council. Some prospect was reported of a compromise between the original proposals and the amendment strongly urged by New Zealand. The latter ; s to the effect that before decisions of the Council to call on the United Nations to apply sanctions against would-be aggressors are put into effect, they should be sulJject to a vote of approval by the Assembly. The New Zealand amendment itself, was reported to have been turned down by the committee in a vote from which a number of delegates abstained, but a Canadian proposal askins that nations who, were not members of, the Council but would be called upon to provide armed forces should be co-opted as members of the Council during discussions that concerned the use of those forces, was referred to a sub-committee for consideration.

This move was suggested by Russia, and hope was expressed that a solution would be found that would satisfy those countries which, like New Zealand, have been alarmed at the prospect of being bound to send their sons to war as a result of decisions in which they would have no say. Mr C. A. Berendsen. who has been prominent in voicing this anxiety, is a member of the sub-com-mittee which will consider the Canadian proposal.

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. PACT

Joint Action At San Francisco

CONTROL OVER MANDATES

(Rec. 5.5 p.m.) CANBERRA, May 16. “The policy on trusteeship followed by the Australian and New Zealand delegates in San Francisco was part of the Australian and New Zealand Pact,” said the Australian Acting-Min-ister of External Affairs (Mr N. J. O. Makin), in coihmenting on questions asked in the Federal Parliament and hi the press concerning the trusteeship Proposals made by Mr F. M. Forde and Pr. H. V. Evatt in San Francisco.

“These trusteeship proposals were laid down in (he Australian and New Zealand Pact in January, 1944, and refffirmed at the Wellington conference last year." said Mr Makin. "The Australian Government believes that such trusteeship should extend to all dependent peoples, in keeping with the basic principals of the Atlantic Charter.

"The Australian delegates have pro* posed that the Powers should render some account of the wav in which they have fulfilled their trust for the welfare of dependent peoples by making reports to an advisory committee to be set up under the authority of the United Nations. No change is proposed in the Australian Government’s administrative control over its existing mandates and external territories. "The Australian Government always has firmly opposed any sthemes of International and joint administration of dependent areas. All we sock is that the welfare of dependent peoples should be treated by the United Nations as a matter of international concern. Special provision is made in these proposals to ensure the basic defence interests of Australia and other countries administering dependent territories under the trusteeship."

REGIONAL PACTS

U.S. Agreement With Latin-Americans

DEFENCE IF SECURITY COUNCIL FAILS

(Rec. 10.30) SAN FRANCISCO, May 15.

“President Truman broke the deadlock between the Big Five and the Latin-American republics over the relationship between the American and world security systems after a week of negotiations,” says the "New York Times” correspondent at UNCIO. “Mr Stettinius told a delegation of LatinAmerican Foreign Ministers that Mr Truman had agreed to negotiate a postwar treaty, under which all the American republics would assist each other against any aggressor American States. “As a result, the United States will offer a new paragraph to the Dumbarton Oaks plan, stating that nothing in this charter shall abridge the inherent right of self-defence of nations, to take action individually, or collectively against armed attack if the Security Council does not act to maintain international peace and security. “The American amendment further adds that if a State or States should take action the Security Council woujd still reserve to intervene in the dispute at any time. “Mr Stettinius said the United States was convinced that the proposed World Security Organisation must be paramount to any regional systems, such as that of the American republics, ‘previous as the inter-American organisation is to us.’ Mr Stettinius coupled this statement with rn assertion that he was confident that an acceptable compromise could be drafted .eventually.”

TRUSTEESHIP SYSTEM

BRITISH AND U.S. POLICIES AGREEMENT ON MAIN ISSUES REPORTED SAN FRANCISCO, May 15. The New York ‘‘Herald-Tribune" says the British and United States delegations to the United Nations Conference have reached agreement on the trusteeship system. The agreement has been referred to London and Washington for approval. If approved it will still be necessary to consider it in the light of suggestions by China and Russia. The Chinese ideas are not expected to meet opposition, but the Russian ideas will give rise - to considerable argument. , The Jewish groups have asked that consideration be given to the status of Palestine. This was rejected on the grounds that the committee is determined to avoid discussing any particular territory. The “Herald-Tribune" correspondent in San Francisco says: ‘‘The agreement reached between the British and American representatives is on three main issues.

“(1) The British desire for one overall mandatory system and American backing of the dual system relating to trusteeships of other strategic areas. In the tentative agreement it was decided that it should be possible to designate certain areas as strategic, but that the British objections should be met by authorising the Security Council to devolve on to the Trusteeship Commission all matters affecting social and economic problems in those areas. This would assure a certain amount of supervision of native problems by the world organisation while allowing the trustees a free hand in matters relating to the purely strategic position of certain areas. “(2) Whether discriminatory policies (regarding trade barriers and immigration) should be allowed in the trusteeship area, This problem was settled by an agreement that there shall be no discriminatory practices against any members of the United Nations unless it can be shown that such discrimination Is necessary in the interests of the purposes and, principles laid down by the Trusteeship Commission and which will eventually be of benefit to the people of the trusteeship. “(3) Whether trusteeships might be inspected at regular intervals by representatives of the world organisation. The British opposed this inspection on the grounds that roving groups of inspectors would be inclined>to do more harm than good. The United States maintained that unless some kind of inspection was established the native populations would remain completely unprotected. 'Agreement was reached on the decision that the Trusteeship Commission should have the right to send inspecting bodies at fixed intervals to trusteeships unless the mandatory Power can show that these inspections create civil or other disturbances,"

Allied Generals In Britain.— The freedom of the city of Portsmouth is to be conferred on Field-Marshal Montgomery, who is spending a short leave In the country. Generals Eisenhower and Bradley have arrived in London from Germany. They went to a theatre and had a great ovation. —London. May 15.

British Debt to Egypt.—Britain owes Egypt from: £300.000,000 to £360,000,000, said the Egyptian Minister of Finance (Makram Pasha). He added that no 1 agreement had been reached on the settlement of the debt, but he suggested that Britain might repay with machinery and finished products.—Cairo. May 15.