U.N. DEBATES ALGERIA

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28451, 4 December 1957, Page 15

U.N. DEBATES ALGERIA

Mediation Move Rejected (A'.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 pjn.) NEW YORK, December 3. The United Nations will continue its debate on Algeria to-day with the Soviet Union and Morocco—which has been active in moves to mediate among the speakers. Diplomats said they expected the Soviet speech to be a bitter denunciation of “French imperialism,” contrasting with the moderate tone of most of the statements so far.

The diplomats said they thought Morocco would follow a similar conciliatory line to the one Tunisia took last week. The heads of State in the two countries have both offered mediation on the Algeria question, which France has declined. The French Foreign Minister, Mr Christian Pineau, said that if Morocco and Tunisia wanted to mediate, they must come ud with something acceptable to France. He ruled out any compromise and said that only a resolution which did not seek United Nations intervention in French internal affairs in Algeria would be admissable to his government. Several members of the Afri-can-Asian group havf been working on a draft resolution, but observers understood its Anal form had not been agreed on, nor did the group know when it might be tabled. Informed sources said ihey expected it would be a conciliatory document which would put off action until the next General Assembly, giving France a chance to carry out the recentlypassed “loi cadre” (enabling legislation) . “Unholy Alliance” Saudi* Arabia charged during yesterday’s debate that Britain and France had entered, an “unholy alliance” in the United Nations on the question of Algeria and Cyprus. Mr Ahmad Shukairy, the Minister of State for Saudi Arabia, made the accusation before the Political Committee.

He said Britain had found it necessary to come to the rescue of France, and added: “Obviously Britain and France are led by a community of interest, at least in this session and before this committee. The question of Algeria and the next item on our agenda, which is incidentally the question of Cyprus, go to explain this unholy alliance.” Mr Shukairy said France had tried to “terrify” the Western Powers into supporting the 1 French position on Algeria by raising the threat of Communist infiltration in North Africa