African Territories PORTUGAL’S POLICY CHALLENGED

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30900, 5 November 1965, Page 17

African Territories PORTUGAL’S POLICY CHALLENGED

(N Z.P.A -Reuter—Copyright)

NEW YORK, Nov. 4.

African States today will launch a new effort to change Portugal’s policy towards its African territories by appealing for action from the Security Council.

The council will debate Portugal’s policy at the request of the 34 African nations.

The request was first submitted in August but the pressure of council business and the commitments of African Ministers delayed the session. The African case will be presented by the Foreign Ministers of Liberia and Sierra Leone and Mr Mongi Slim, special representative of President Habib Bourguiba, of Tunisia, and Mr Louis Rakotomalala, resident representative of the Malagasy Republic The Foreign Minister of Portugal, Dr. Alberto Franco Nogueira, will defend his Government’s policies in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea. It will be the first time for almost two years that the council has considered the territories together. VIOLATION CHARGE

In May this year it discussed a charge by Senegal that its territory had been violated by troops from Portuguese Guinea.

African delegates speaking in the General Assembly have several times called for economic sanctions against Portugal for refusing to grant the right of self-determination in its African territories.

This is expected to form the main burden of the African argument in the council but the well-known opposition of Western council'members to such moves is expected to prevent adoption of a resolution along these lines. The African are also expected to accuse Portugal’s partners in N.A.T.O. —Britain. France and the United States

in particular—of giving encouragement to Lisbon in its policies. Another theme heard frequently in the assembly was that Portugal was in league with South Africa and Rhodesia to maintain an area of white supremacy in the southern part of Africa. Observers said this would

probably also form part cf the African attack on Portugal. The South African question is due to follow the Portuguese debate. Dr. Nogueira was expected to reply that there were different forms of “self-determin. ation” and to rebut charges of racial discrimination.