DRAFT WINS SUPPORT

Press, Volume C, Issue 29602, 26 August 1961, Page 11

DRAFT WINS SUPPORT

(N.Z.P.A -Reuter—Copyright)

NEW YORK, August 25. The United Nations General Assembly is expected to adopt tonight a resolution bringing farther pressure on France to begin “immediate negotiations" with Tunisia on the Bizerta issue. The draft, sponsored by 31 Afro-Asian states and Jugoslavia, is believed assured of the two-thirds majority required for adoption. However, back-stflge efforts still continued today to broaden support for it and limit the number of abstentions. Britain, the United States and most of the NAT.O. countries have indicated in

four previous days of the special session debate that they will abstain in the vote, contending that the terms of the resolution would not improve the climate for negotiation. The resolution urges France to implement fully a Security Council interim resolution for a cease-fire in Bizerta; recognises Tunisia’s sovereign right to call for full French withdrawal; and calls' upon both Governments to enter into immediate negotiations aimed at ending the French military presence in Tunisia. A number of other African countries today continued to press the Brazzaville group of French-African States privately to support the

lution. A split in the African group broke into the open at the end of yesterday's meeting when a Madagascar delegate sharply told Guinea’s representative that the Brazzaville States would “not be dictated to." The Guinea delegate, Mr Diallo Telli, had appealed for African solidarity. Since the special session began on Monday, more than half of the members have taken the rostrum, most of them to condemn the French actions at Bizerta and her delegation’s boycott of the debate. From among the Western alliance, only the United States. British, New Zealand, Turkish, Pakistani and Iranian delegates have spoken.