DISPUTE OVER VETO

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 122, 25 May 1945, Page 5

DISPUTE OVER VETO

UNCIO PROCEDURE

SMALL POWERS' OFFER NEW YORK, May 24. The small nations have presented to the sponsoring Powers at UNCIO 22 questions designed to clarify the voting formula proposed at Yalta, says the correspondent of the "New York Times" at San Francisco. Though the questions are framed to remove some of the veto powers of the Big Five, the questions which the small nations have not asked indicate their willingness to allow greater powers of veto than they seek to taice away. It is clear that the small Powers are prepared to grant the Big Five the right to veto the following:— 1. Decisions to use armed force or diplomatic sanctions or. take any other coercive action against an aggressor, even if one of the Big Five is the nation charged with aggression. 2. Decisions by the security council that failure to settle a dispute constitutes a threat to peace; or after the security council has agreed that the dispute threatens the peace, the adoption of measures by the league, to deal with the threat. 3. Approval of special military agreements among Powers placing forces and facilities at their disposal so as to strengthen any degree of readiness of the national forces that are to be held available for combined military action. 4. Plans for the application of armed force. ADDITIONAL POWERS. The Big Five Would also have the right to veto the following:— 1. Reference by the security council to the general assembly of any question relating to the maintenance of peace and security. 2. Admittance of new members. 3. Suspension or expulsion of members. 4. The restoration , of a suspended member. 5. The formulation of plans for regulating armaments. 6. The creation of agencies through which' the world organisation will work, including the creation of regional sub-committees and of the organisation's military staff committee. 7. The conditions under which nonmembers of the organisation who are parties to a dispute may come under the jurisdiction of the organisation, or become parties to the statute or to the new international court. The Associated Press says that the committee on regional arrangements accepted a proposal that, until the world organisation takes the necessary steps to maintain peace, groups of nations may take mutual defence measures if any of their number is attacked. The Latin-American Republics have already. approved the formula as granting adequate recognition of the Pan-American defence system. This committee has now finished its work, except for action on the definition of collective security desired by Egypt. RUSSIAN ATTITUDE. A Soviet representative told Britain, America, and China that the Russians are willing to subscribe to, a liberal interpretation of the Yalta voting formula, but insist that they cannot agree to any alteration in the substance of the Yalta agreement. . The Russian representative, in a long meeting with technical experts, indicated that the Soviet might be willing to forgo certain rights of veto over the peaceful settlement of small nation disputes, but was adamant that the Yalta voting agreement should be carried out to the letter. There are indications that the four sponsoring Powers will not answer the small nations' 22 questions specifically. Instead, they will place a general explanation of the voting procedure before the conference.