U.S. veto against Vietnam

Press, 15 September 1976, Page 8

U.S. veto against Vietnam

NZPA New York Ihe American Government’s decision again to block Vietnam’s entry into the United Nations is expected to be strongly criticised when the South-East Asian country’s application for membership of the world organisation is discussed. The American Ambassador to the United Nations (Mr William Scranton) announced in Washington yesterday, after a meeting with President Ford, that the United States would veto the Vietnamese application because Hanoi had failed to give an account of about 800 American servicemen still listed as missing in action in Vietnam. Ihe strongest attacks are expected to come from Communist and nonaligned members of the world body: the nonaligned countries have already declared that they consider any opposition to the admission of Vietnam would be legally and morally irrelevant, indefensible, and unjustifiable. Vietnam has Issued a statement saying: “It is no secret to anyone that Mr Ford’s real concern is not over missing Americans and their families, but over the vote in his election campaign.” Asked if election-year politics had plated any part in the American decision, Mr Scranton replied: “As far as I am concerned, and as far as the President is concerned, we have not attempted to play politics at the United Nations. Politics played no part In the decision.”