U.N. DEBATE ON KOREA

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28435, 15 November 1957, Page 15

U.N. DEBATE ON KOREA

Call For Free Elections

(N.Z Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, November 13.

Britain, the United States and nine other countries tonight tabled a resolution calling upon the authorities in North Korea and Communist China to accept the established United States objectives to achieve a settlemen' in Korea.

This setlement would be based on the “fundamental principle for unification set forth by the nations participating on behalf of the United Nations in the Korean political conference, held at Geneva in 1954, and reaffirmed by the General Assembly.” These principles are to bring about by peaceful means the establishment of a unified, independent, and democratic Korea under a representative form of government, and full restoration of peace and security in the area. Australia and New Zealand were included in the countries sponsoring the resolution. Mr C. Craw, of New Zealand, told the United Nations Political Committee in the debate on Korea that unsettled conditions there could not fail to make New Zealanders anxious lest the full maintenance of international peace and security in the Pacific should be endangered with results which would inevitably affect New Zealand.

Mr Craw said he could not for a moment agree with a statement made last week by the Soviet delegate, Mr V. V. Kuznetsov, that the Korean question “has long been fit for the archives.” Lessons of Last 10 Years

"Let us not be lulled into indifference and apathy,” Mr Craw said. “Let us rather consider the present situation bearing in mind the lessons of the last 10 years.” The Soviet. Government and the North Korean authorities. Mr Craw said, had refused to allow the United Nations Commission to enter North Korea to supervise elections.

The commission subsequently observed elections in South Korea and came to the conclusion that the results of these elections were a valid expression of the free will of the electorate.

“I maintain that we must be steadfast in adhering to the principles laid down by the United Nations,” Mr Craw said. “We must not forget that by our adherence to these principles in the past we have preserved freedom and independence at least for the majority of the Korean people. “I cannot believe that North Korea, if left to itself, would not be prepared to accept these United Nations principles in order to unify the country, but the Chinese Communists and the Soviet Union do not appear to be willing to yield—indeed from their selfish point of view they dare not yield a fraction of their authority.” The core of the position. Mr Craw added, was that if Korea were to be genuinely independent and if it were to be genuinely democratic, there must be free elections.