U.N. ASSEMBLY WILL BE IN FAVOUR OF LIBYA INDEPENDENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 October 1949, Page 6

U.N. ASSEMBLY WILL BE IN FAVOUR OF LIBYA INDEPENDENCE

NEW YORK, Oct. 3.—lndependence for Libya within about three years will almost certainly be a P“ proved by the United Nations General Assembly this session, but thefuture of Eritrea and Italian Somaliland is likely to be left undecided until next year. Latin American, Arab, and European votes seem assured for the plan tto create an independent Libya ' within the next three years. The only division of opinion at the moment appears to be on the method of achieving the objective. I The United States, supported by 'several other countries, would like to ’see the transfer of authority in Libya I made under the supervision of some Ikind of United Nations advisory I council. Britain and France, as the I administering authorities in the territory. consider that such a measure would interfere, with their jurisdiction. and say that they are capable !o£ leading the peoples of Cyrenaica, ' Tripolitania, and the Fezzan to . independence without United Nations .supervision. I The Soviet proposal to grant Libya ' Immediate independence is not taken 'too seriously in diplomatic circles. i During a debate in the Political Committee today, Mr Dmitri Manuilsky (Ukraine), supporting the Soviet proposal, criticised the record, of the British Military Administration in Libya after the war. He alleged that the Economy of the former Italian colonies had retrogressed. Mr Panayotis Pipinelis (Greece) supported independence for Libya. He said:: “Our relations with modern Italy encourage us to trust that

country.”