“POKER” POLITICS

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 January 1946, Page 5

“POKER” POLITICS

RUSSIAN MOVES CRITICISED INQUIRIES WELCOMED (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent.) (Rec. 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 23. Though there has been a tendency to criticise Russia and Ukraing on the surprise request to the Security Council to consider the situation in Greece and Indonesia,' including comments such as “poker” politics and “playing the diplomatic, game according to the old rules,” the official British attitude is that both inquiries would be welcomed. It is not doubted that Russia, having had her own policy in Persia brought to the notice of the council, is retaliating by criticising British policy. Whether it is the function of the Security Council to discuss the Russian request is still being considered. It is pointed out that while the three “situations” are parallel in form, the Persian request was made by the recognised Government of the aggrieved country, but the Greek Government has made no complaint against British troops, and the Indonesians have no properly-constituted authority capable of lodging a complaint. Comment from both the Greek and Indonesian Premiers has been distinctly favourable to the presence of the British. • The question is asked whether Russia has chosen her ground wisely, for Article Two of the UNO charter states: “Nothing contained in the present charter shall authorise the United Nations to intervene .in a matter which is essentially within domestic jurisdiction of any State or shall require members to submit such matters to settlement under the present charter.” At the moment, it is expected that Britain will wait for Russia to make the next move. Should Russia propose that tripartite commissions representing Britain, America, and Russia be sent to Greece and Indonesia, Britain would raise no objection. She has already proposed a commission should go to Greece to supervise the elections, a proposal which was accepted by France and America, but turned down by Moscow. The opinion is expressed that it will not be easy for the Russians to make out a prima facie case for the allegation that the presence of British troops in Greece and Indonesia involves any danger to international peace. Nor can it be argued they are there illegally or improperly. But, as stated, the British Government will WELCOME THE INQUIRY. The “Manchester Guardian’s” diplomatic correspondent observes: In the midst of confusion, there seems to be one certainty, namely, that Britain will not retaliate by demanding investigations into the situation in Russian-occupied territories. She is not contemplating calling the attention of the Security Council to conditions in Russian-occupied Poland, Balkans, nor Bornholm Island, which is still Russian-occupied. Anxiety about conditions in these areas certainly exists, but the effect of Russian censorship makes it difficult to judge whether these conditions constitute a “threat to peace” or not. It is being suggested that Moscow’s request for investigation on Greece is connected more closely with Russia’s desire for greater influence there than with any serious anxiety aoout the “threat to peace.” Though Russia turned down the proposal for a Commission to go to Greece to supervise the elections, she has not been above interfering. “During the past few months the world has heard systematic Russian propaganda against almost every effort undertaken by the Greeks themselves or by Britain in Greece. There is also enough evidence to show that Russia is sponsoring a drive for indirect control of Salonika, a port as decisive for the Eastern Mediterreanean as Trieste is for the Adriatic and Central Mediterranean. Perhaps these matters may be aired if the Security Council looks into the situation in Greece.” The postponed plenary meeting of the General Assembly and the next open meeting of the Security Council will be watched with interest for any indication of further moves in the “three situations” which have now become the overriding interest at UNO. CONSIDERATION DEFERRED SPANISH~REQUEST. LONDON, January 23. It is still not known when the Security Council of the United Nations will consider the Russian objection to the presence of British troops in Greece, the Ukrainian request about Indonesia, and the Persian complaint against Russia. There is a feeling among many delegates that these problems should be deferred until April, when the General Assembly will meet in the United States, but others think that delaying consideration of such grave issues would be detrimental to the new world organisation’s prestige. The United States delegation has officially denieu reports that it favoured postponing discussion of the complaints until April. The plenary session of the General Assembly to have been held today has now been cancelled. It will now be held to-morrow, as originally planned. The reasons for the cancellation are purely technical. It had been thought that the draft of an agreement on the setting up of a commission to control the uses of atomic energy woud have been ready for discussion to-day, but the draft could not be completed in time. It is expected that Mr. Byrnes, leader of the United States delegation, will speak at to-morrow’s session of the Assembly. Mr. Vyshinsky, leader of the Soviet delegation, who arrived in London by air yesterday, is also expected to make his first speech at the Assembly. A new matter to come before the Assembly is a request by Dr. J. Giral, leader of the Spanish Government in exile, that his Administration should receive formal recognition by the nations. The request will be put to the Assembly by the Mexican delegation, and it is understood to have the support of’several Latin American States. GREEK INSTRUCTIONS. (Rec. 11.40 a.m.) ATHENS, January 23. M. Sofoulis announced that the Greek Government was cabling instructions to its representatives at the United Nations Assembly in connection with the Russian representations regarding the presence of British troops in Greece.

MANDATES & TRUSTEESHIPS MR ATTLEE’S STATEMENT.. (Rec, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, January 23. 1 France has agreed to place the mandates of Togo and Cameroons under trusteeship, said the French delegate, Henri Potfsot, at the meeting of UNO’s Trusteeship Committee. He added he wished to dissipate doubts regarding France’s intentions. He would like to adhere to Mr. Fraser’s particularly expressive passage that no power had the moral right to appropriate mandated territories without due cause. France would respect both the spirit and letter of the Charter. Mr. Attlee, in a statement in the Commons on the trusteeship provisions of the United Nations Charter, said Emir Abdullah of Transjordan accepted the invitation to visit London to consider Transjordan’s independence. Regarding Tanganyika, Togoland and Cameroons, Mr. Attlee said the Government in consultation with the Governors had drawn up draft terms of trusteeship generally based on the mandate, but revised to bring them into conformity with the provisions of the United Nations Charter. The inhabitants of these territories would continue to be British protected persons of exactly the same status as the inhabitants of any British protectorate. There were certain states which must be regarded as directly concerned in African mandated territories. They were France in respect to Togoland and Cameroons, Belgium in respect to Tanganyika, and South Africa in respect to all three. Draft terms of trusteeship had been sent to the Governments of these States for their observations. Copies of the. draft were sent for information only at this stage to the Governments of Russia, China, and America, and in respect of Tanganyika to France. TRADE UNIONS FEDERATION (Rec. 10.10 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 23. Mr Fraser, chairman of the UNO joint sub-committee of the Economic, Financial and Social Humanitarian Committees, sharply called to order Mr Kuznetsov (Russia) when he introduced the subject of the world federation of trade unions. Mr Kuznetsov, after stating that the voice of Labour played an important part in the League of Nations, mentioned the World Federation of Trade Unions. Mr Fraser rapped the table with a gavel. “I don’t want to slop the delegate, but he knows as well as I do this is a subject of very detailed consideration by the sub-committee of the General Committee. Apart from general remarks, I cannot allow arguments.” Mr Kuznetsov: I am not going to argue, Sir. I only want to say a few words as an illustration.” He added that the World Federation of Trade Unions strongly supported all the aims and purposes of the United Nations. He hoped the Economic Social Council would give cordial consideration to their views, so that the unions would have an opportunity of co-operating and helping in a world of united nations. TT The plenary session of the UWU General Assembly, arranged for this afternoon, was cancelled because it was impossible to have the report of the Political Security Committee, which has been dealing with atomic energy, ready in time for presentation to-day. PACIFIC ISLANDS. WASHINGTON, January 22. The United Nations Charter adequately protected United States interests in the strategic Pacific islands captured from Japan, said the United States Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Dean Acheson). He emphasised that failure by the Security Council to ratify an individual trusteeship agreement for such Pacific islands would not affect the continued possession of those islands by the United States. Mr. Acheson, however, refused to speculate on how the rest of the world, might react to American retention of the islands on a unilateral basis should the Security Council reject trusteeship by the United States.