Soviet Seeks Draft Statute For Atomic Agency

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27794, 20 October 1955, Page 13

Soviet Seeks Draft Statute For Atomic Agency

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) NEW YORK, October 18. The Soviet Union today proposed the calling of an international conference to consider drafting a statute for the projected international atomic energy agency. It did so in the form of a revised resolution put before the Political Committee of the United Nations General Assembly. In making the move, the Soviet Union anticipated the Western Powers who, in order to meet obligations—notably from the Scandinavian countries and India—had agreed to the idea of calling an international conference to consider and approve the terms of the statute.

Britain, the United States and Australia, co-sponsors of the Western resolution which is now before the Political Committee, were reported to be ready to revise their draft and to include in it the international conference proposal. Tabling of the revision was delayed until tomorrow, however. Meanwhile the Soviet Union officially circulated its revised resolution. Under the resolution, the General Assembly would be asked to “consider that it would be useful to convene a conference of experts designated by the governments of the States concerned, for the joint consideration of questions relating to the drafting of the statute of the international Atomic Energy Agency.” The agency, a direct outcome of President Eisenhower’s atoms-for-peace speech before the General Assembly, in December, 1953, has been the subject of negotiations among the eight major Western atomic Powers for the last two years. They produced a draft statute which has been submitted to other governments for their comments. Ten days ago, the United States and Britain, who subsequently were joined by Australia, submitted to the Political Committee a resolution which would have asked the Assembly merely to recognise the "significant progress” being made in promoting international co-operation for the peaceful uses of atomic energy. All the negotiations on the agency’s statute have taken place outside the United Nations and the Western Powers have opposed any idea that the Assembly should debate the pro-

Observers regarded the revised Soviet resolution as further evidence that Russia agreed with the Western Powers that the agency’s statute should not be debated in the Assembly. The Soviet resolution did not specify a date for the proposed conference or where it shouki be held.