WEIGHTY DECISION

Evening Star, Issue 25685, 8 January 1946, Page 4

WEIGHTY DECISION

PEACE OF WORLD THE ISSUE POWER OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL On Sunday, December 23, at an allday plenary session, the United Nations Preparatory Commission completed the main body of its work of preparing for the inauguration of tha new world organisation. In the work of the committees, as the commission emphasises in the introduction to its report, “ unanimity has been reached on such contentious matters as organisation of the secretariat, committee, and structure of the trusteeship system, and choice of the permanent seat of the organisation. ’ ’ As the commission says, “it is encouraging that unanimity should have .been achieved; it is still more encouraging that it should have • been achieved so quickly.” Now all eyes turn to the great gathering of the leading statesmen of 51 United Nations in London for the inaugural meeting of the General Assembly on Thursday. That Assembly, according to the agenda which has been prepared for it by the Preparatory Commission, will have a number of momentous decisions to take —decisions which will not only have an important bearing on the successful working of the new organisation in the first critical years of its existence, hut may well determine the whole future shape of international relations in the post-war period. . One of the most important first duties assigned to the Assembly after ,the formalities of organising itself will be the constitution of the. Security Council, by election of the six nations to fill non-permanent seate on the Council. Under the charter the Security Council consists of 11 members, five of whom shall be representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, France, and China as permanent members, and six non-permanent members elected by the Assembly for periods of two years, each three being elected each year. In order to set- the process in motion this first Assembly will elect three nations to ! serve as members of the Security Council for a period of two years and three for a period of' one year. IMPORTANCE OF MEMBERSHIP. In view of the many serious . and delicate international and political problems affecting world peace and security with which the Security Council may be called upon to deal in the first phase of its. existence, the initial composition of its membership will be a factor of the greatest international and political significance. The Security Council will in its turn have as one of its first duties flie taking of an equally vital decision for the future of the world organisation, the choice of 'the man it will nominate to the Assembly’ for its approval to fill the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations. Under the terms of the charter and the recommendations ‘ of the Preparatory Commission the Secretary-General is given a measure of power and authority, rarely, exampled in any previous international body, and correspondingly heavy responsibilities and duties. In words of the Executive Committee’s report, “the SecretaryGeneral more than anyone, else will stand for the United Nations as a whole. In the eyes of the world no less than in the eyes of his own staff ho must embody the principles and ideals of the charter to which the organisation seeks to give effect.” The choice of the right man to fill , this onerous and responsible position will be one of the most difficult decisions which the organisation will have to take in the early days of its existence, and one of the most fateful for its future success.

CONTROL «OF ATOMIC ENERGY. Many other vital matters will have to he' debated and decided by the General Assembly during this inaugural meeting, but space forbids discussion •in detail of any except the one whose importance for the future safety of mankind probably transcends all others. That is the setting up of a commission to control the application of atomic energy, according to the agreement which has been reached at meetings of the British, American, and Russian Foreign (Ministers in Moscow. A communique issued early on the morning of. December 28, after the close of the Moscow consultations, contains the text of a resolution which it is proposed shall be presented to the General Assembly under the combined sponsorship of representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet. Union, France, China, and Canada. As proposedfi the resolution calls for the establishment bv the General Assembly of a commission consisting of one representative each of all the members of the Security Council, plus Canada if Canada is not a member of the Security Council, to study all phases of the problem of controlling the use of atomic energy so as to direct it to peaceful purposes, and to make recommendations on the measures to be taken by various organs of the United Nations to that end. According to the terms of the proposed resolution, the commission will report to the Security Council, and through the council to the General Assembly and to the United Nations organs concerned, the Security Council retaining control over activities of the commission relating to matters directly affecting security. There is no doubt that the Assembly will wish to discuss very fully and very freelv the terms of this resolution and the proposal contained in it before deciding on the best course of action to take with regard to the problem it raises, and it will, of course, be within its power to modify or amend those proposals as the opinion of a two-thirds majority of the Assembly may deem wise. The debate on this subject in the forthcoming General Assembly may well be one of the most historic ever held in any international gathering.