Rhodesian Proposal May Provoke U.N.

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31211, 8 November 1966, Page 17

Rhodesian Proposal May Provoke U.N.

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

NEW YORK, November 7.

Reports of new proposals by Rhodesia for a settlement with Britain were expected today to spur United Nations moves to block the transfer of power ‘‘on any basis” to the regime of Mr lan Smith.

The General Assembly’s Trusteeship Committee, which has been discussing the Rhodesian crisis, has before it a 12-point resolution sponsored by 50 States of Africa and Asia.

This could be pressed swiftly to a vote if the sponsors believed the situation justified this. Two meetings of the committee were scheduled for today. Discussing Aden The 121-nation body had turned its attention away from Rhodesia before the week-end recess to the problems of another British colony, Aden, on the understanding that discussion of the Rhodesian problem would be resumed at short notice, if necessary. Last month, newspaper speculation about an imminent Rhodesian settlement stirred African States into rushing a resolution through the committee and Assembly condemning in advance any arrangement with Mr Smith that did not provide for self-deter-mination and majority rule in Rhodesia

Since then, Lord Caradon, the chief British delegate, has had talks in London about this and other Southern African problems. He is thought to have warned his chiefs of the serious United Nations repercussions—“the fire in the basement” is one phrase said to have been used —that would flow from over-com-promisihg the British stand on Rhodesia. Would Be Embarrassing

Lord Caradon, as Sir Hugh Foot, left the Government service in 1962 in protest against Conservative policy towards the colony, and some persons in the United Nations believe he would resign again if he could not support in the United Nations an arrangement that had been concluded by the Labour Government with the rebel regime.

l Such a gesture would be embarrassing to the Labour Government, observers believe, because Labour has made a special point of its attachment to the United Nations and its determination to "reassert British leadership” in the world organisation. In fact, much of Lord Caradon’s time in the United Nations has been spent defending causes unpopular among the Afro-Asian majority. The resolution now before the Trusteeship Committee again calls for economic sanctions and the use of British military force to put down the year-old white rebellion, and urges all States to “render all moral and material support to the people of Zimbabwe in their legitimate struggle to overthrow the illegal racist regime.” The resolution appeared today to be assured of adoption by the committee and endorsement by the Assembly, in spite of Britain’s opposition to its sweeping terms.

The British have pledged to go to the Security Council before the end of the year with a request for selective, mandatory economic sanctions if no terms can be agreed. But they have re

peatedly and resolutely turned aside appeals to use force to end the revolt. All of the Assembly's committee's had meetings listed today as the world body tried to keep up with its work timetable as the session had only six more scheduled weeks to run.