Soviet Attack On Munro’s Activities

Press, Volume C, Issue 29524, 27 May 1961, Page 14

Soviet Attack On Munro’s Activities

(M ZU 1 -* ,-Ktvtrr— Copyngtit) NEW YORK, May 25. The Soviet Union has again denounced the “illegal activities” of Sir Leslie Munro, of New Zealand, the United Nations’ special representative on Hungary, and has demanded that no further budget appropriations be granted for his work in connexion with the Hungarian question.

The request was contained in a letter from the Soviet Deputy-Foreign Minister (Mr Zorin) to Mr Frederick Boland, the President of the General Assembly. In his note Mr Zorin said that according to information communicated to his delegation, the United Nations committee on budgetary questions had, on the proposal of the United Nations Secretariat, approved an appropriation : for financing Sir Leslie Munro’s work. “The Soviet Union has from the very outset regarded as , illegal the activities of Sir Leslie Munro, who is operating as the obedient agent of those who advocate the cold war and the spread of hostility between nations,” Mr Zorin wrote. “The servile activities of Sir Leslie Munro are all the more bereft of any authorita- ' tive basis at the present time, since the fifteenth session of the General Assembly did not deem it necessary to devote any time to the consideration of the so-called question of Hungary, an openly provocative issue which represents gross interference in the domestic affairs of an independent country, one of the equal sovereign members of the United Nations.” he said. Mr Zorin said the actions of the Secretariat in recommending the appropriation were not only arbitrary and illegal, but demonstrated that "the Secretariat is acting as an instrument of the cold war.” He said that the Soviet delegation vigorously protested against this action and insisted on the discontinuance of appropriations from the United Nations budget for the illegal activities of Sir Leslie Munro, activitiea which "are inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations and are provocative to member States." Later today Mr Boland’s reply to Mr Zorin was made

public. The Assembly President recalled that Sir Leslie Munro had been appointed to his post in December, 1958, under the terms of a General Assembly resolution and that in December. 1959, he had been asked to continue his duties.

Mr Boland wrote that Sir Leslie Munro's mandate required him to report on “significant development” relating to the implementation of resolutions on the Hungarian question. Mr Boland said that Sir Leslie Munro had been appointed by the General Assembly and as the Assembly had not discussed the item at its last session, no decision had been taken to terminate the New’ Zealander’s mandate. No official disclosure was made of the amount appropriated, but reliable sources said that the figure was about 10.000 dollars. The Hung**ian question was included on the agenda of the Assembly’s recent session. but was not debated and was held over until the next session which is due to begin in September.