U.N. CONGO GROUP

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29717, 10 January 1962, Page 11

U.N. CONGO GROUP

Invitation To U Thant (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) NEW YORK, Jan. 9. The United Nations 19nation Congo Advisory Committee meets in New York today behind closed doors to consider a British invitation to the acting SecretaryGeneral (U Thant) to confer personally with the Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland (Sir Roy Welensky). U Thant summoned the group to seek its advice on the proposal, which wa made after rejection by Sir Roy Welensky of a request to station United Nations observers near the Federation’s border with Katanga. The acting Secretary-Gen-eral made the request to try to curb the reported traffic of arms and personnel into the Congo’s secessionist province.

Informed sources said they anticipated that U Thant would decline the invitation to visit Salisbury, the Federation’s capital. They also questioned whether he would agree to send a deputy to represent him. U Thant was privately reported to be doubtful of the value of a mission that he feared might only produce an exchange of charges and counter-charges between the United Nations and Rhodesia, which had already taken place in recent weeks at long-range. Sir Roy Welensky has repeatedly denied United Nations accusations that his territory has been used for traffic in arms and personnel on behalf of the Katangese President (Mr Moise Tshombe). Britain, which is responsible for the foreign relations of the Federation, has not yet formally rejected U Thant’s proposal to station observers in Northern Rhodesia. Last night, the British resident representative, Sir Patrick Dean, reaffirmed in a written communication the invitation for U Thant to visit Salisbury that he had offered orally last Thursday.

Aid For South Vietnam (N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) WASHINGTON, Jan. 9. South Vietnam is planning to boost its regular Army from 170,000 to 200,000 men with the help of increased United States military aid. State Department officials, disclosing this, said last night the additional costs would be borne jointly by the two countries through a new financial reform programme, the Associated Press reported. Last month President Kennedy promised increased United States military supplies and equipment to help South Vietnam’s President (Ngo Dinh Diem) ward off a Communist effort to seize the country.