Proposal For New Peace Body.

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 October 1947, Page 8

Proposal For New Peace Body.

NEW YORK, October 14.

The Soviet renewed its bitter attack on American “warmongers” today, when Mr John Foster Dulles (United States) moved a resolution in the Political Committee’of the United Nations General Assembly calling for the establishment of an interim “little United Nations Assembly.” Mr Vyshinsky (Russia), who has already described Mr Dulles as a warmonger, said that in advocating this plan Mr Dulles “forgot or did not dare to say that war propaganda and war psychosis are rampant.” Introducing the resolution, Mr Dulles said that the establishment of an interim committee of the General Assembly was necessary to enable the Assembly to discharge its responsibilities under the United Nations Charter and restore confidence in the efficacy of international processes. Widespread Disillusionment There was widespread disillusionment today about the United Nations. One root, of the trouble was that its procedures had not kept pace with its problems. There were already on the agenda such questions as Palestine, Greece, Korea, and the Italian peace treaty. It required no great imagination to visualise many similar problems on the agenda for the next session.

If the Assembly disregarded its mounting responsibilities and tried to get along with working only so many weeks a year it would be attempting to do.too much in too little time, and would do nothing well. If the present session of the Assembly dealt competently with its problems it would only be because of the studies made by the Palestine Commission of Inquiry and the Balkans Commission while the Assembly was in recess. It was clear that if for eight months of the year the Assembly’s doors, were closed it would fail in its duty. Main Functions

Mr Dulles added that the main functions, of. the proposed interim committee would be:—

(1) To consider- and investigate questions relating to the maintenance of ..international peace, make its views known to the next regular session of the Assembly, and if necessary advise the Secretary-General to call a special session. (2) To “follow through” recommendations made by regular sessions of the Assembly.

(3) “To get under way the work necessary to enable the Assembly to make recommendations regarding the general principles of co-operation in the maintenance of international peace and to initiate studies for the purpose of promoting international co-operation in the political field.” (4) To study and report to the next regular session of the Assembly on the advisability of establishing the interim committee on a permanent basis.

Russian Altitude Stated

Mr Vyshinsky claimed that the proposed committee would be a flagrant violation of the United Nations. Charter and amounted to an attempt to circumvent the required unanimity of the Great Powers.

The United States was trying to set up a body which would work alongside the. Security Council with greater powers than the Council itself. The American proposal was advanced after all attempts to liquidate the veto had failed. The General Assembly, under the Charter, had the right to establish its own. subsidiary organs, but the functions which the United States proposed to give the interim committee "went a long way beyond any subsidiary organ, because in effect they gave the committee the right to establish its own subsidiary organs. ‘The Soviet considers the American proposal a step further on the way to undermining the solidarity, of the United Nations.”

Dr H. V. Evatt (Australia) said that the Assembly should treat the American proposal as a possible solution to the problem of . the Security Council’s failure to function.

The committee adjourned until tomorrow.