RUANDA AND URUNDI

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29851, 18 June 1962, Page 3

RUANDA AND URUNDI

Disagreement At U.N. (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) NEW YORK. June 17. African and Asian countries which together form almost half the membership of the United Nations, are reported split over whether Belgian troops should be allowed to remain in Ruanda and Urundi after they attain independence on July 1. The Belgian Foreign Minister (Mr Paul-Henri Spaak) has proposed placing some troops at the disposal of the two governments for a transitional period of about three months w-hde the national armies are strengthened. He fears a breakdown of public order and a resurgence of tribal warfare. However, the proposal so far has not received much support in the General Assembly’s Trusteeship Committee, which was to resume its debate today. Some African and Asian members were reported to feel that Mr Spaak had placed them in an invidious position. They said that it was Belgium which had earlier pressed for independence for the two new stales as soon as possible, though some delegates had thought independence should be delayed at least until the end of this year. Belgium maintained that prolonging of the U.N. trusteeship agreement was creating tension. Even though many delegates shared Mr Spaak’s tears about the difficulties of maintaining public order if all Belgian troops were withdrawn. these delegates said, it was hard for them to agree to a course which would plainly infringe on the sovereignty of the two governments. The question has been made more difficult by the adamant refusal of the Urundi Government to agree to retention of any Belgian military forces after independence. Ruanda has said it would decide according to the conditions at the time.

The surest way of flattering a woman is to tell her she thinks like a man.—A member of the psychology department at Fenn College in Ohio.