U.N. Approves New Talks On Disarmament

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27500, 6 November 1954, Page 7

U.N. Approves New Talks On Disarmament

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, November 4. The United Nations General Assembly gave its unanimous approval today to the terms of reference agreed to between the West and the Soviet Union for a resumption of closeddoor five-Power disarmament talks. The resolution passed by the Assembly requested the 12nation Disarmament Commission, composed of the 11 Security Council members, plus Canada, to reconvene the. sub-committee which met last year in London for private talks in an effort to break the nine-year-old deadlock on the problem.. The five Powers represented on that sub-committee were Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States and Canada.

Before the vote today, Sir Pierson Dixon (Britain) said the fact that there was unanimity among the five Powers on the terms of the Assembly’s resolution did not mean that agreement on the basic problem of disarmament was within easy or early reach.

The debate in the Assembly’s Political Committee, he said, had shown that the Soviet proposals diverged widely in a number of important respects from the British-French and other Western proposals.

Mr Vyshinsky, addressing the Assembly, said: “There’are a host of difficulties ahead of us. It would be erroneous to assume that the job is done. A big step has been taken. Perhaps the historians of the future will decide’ that it was a step of historical importance. There will be difficulties, but difficulties are made to be overcome.” Mr Vyshinsky said he agreed that the Soviet proposals differed in a number of respects from those in the British-French plan, which the Soviet had accepted as a basis for discussing a disarmament convention. But he also agreed with Sir Pierson Dixon that there were grounds for satisfaction at the work done, and said there was “hope for the future.” “Important Step Forward” Dr. van Kieffens (Netherlands), the Assembly president, described the passing of the resolution as “an important Step forward." He added that no-one could say what the resolution might lead to, but said it presented the opportunity of achieving progress. The resolution—jointly sponsored by the four Western Powers and the Soviet Union and first approved unanimously by the Political Committee last week—concluded that a further effort should be made to reach agreement on comprehensive and co-ordinated proposals to be embodied in a draft iptemational disarmament convention and requested the Disarmament Commission to seek an acceptable solution "taking into aepount the’ various proposals which had been put forward. By a vote of 57 to one (China), the Assembly approved the recommendation of the Political Committee referring to the Disarmament Commission “for appropriate consideration” the Indian suggestion for a study of ways and means of bringing about an armament truce” pending agreement on a disarmament convention.