RACE POLICY IN AFRICA

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28128, 17 November 1956, Page 11

RACE POLICY IN AFRICA

Further Debate

By U.N.

(Rec. 9 p.m.) NEW YORK, Nov. 15. The United Nations General Assembly decided today to debate South Africa’s racial policies again this year in spite of a strong hint that South Africa would walk out of the sessions

The assembly approved a aull airing of the two old problems involving South Africa.' The delegates voted *63-2, with 13 abstentions, to discuss the question of South Xfrica’s treatment of persons of Indian origin. Only Italy and South Africa voted against it.

The delegates then voted 61-8, with seven abstentions, to debate the policy of segregation of negroes. Australia. Belgium, Britain, France, Luxembourg. Portugal, South Africa and T taly voted against this s tem. Before the voting, the South American Foreign Minister. Mr Eric Louw, had said such a decision would be interference in his country’s domestic affairs in violation of the United Nations Charter.

Noting that Jthe one subject had come up annually since 1946, and the other annually since 1952, he declared that he was protesting “for r he last time.”

“South Africa must ake stock of its position in this organisation,” he said The Indian Minister without portfolio, Mr V. K. Krishna Menon, arguing in favour of a debate on both items, said that historically they had not been matters of purely domestic concern. He also said that if the United Naticns were to ignore everything coming under domestic jurisdiction, it would make a mockery of the charter provision for economic and social cooperation. Noting South Africa’s presence as he started his speech, he said: “We are happy to see this delegation back here among us.” Last December, when an Assembly committtee voted to continue a three-year-old United Nations investigation of South Africa’s segregation laws, that country withdrew its delegations from the assembly and from United Nations headquarters for the rest of the session. The assembly itself later killed the inquiry. nnd South Africa came back.

Among other items the assembly put on its agenda today were the continued division of Korea, the Big Powers’ failure to agree on disarmament, relief for Palestine Arab refugees, and the admission of new members. There was general agreement to debate these.