RIGHT OF POWERS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22198, 7 December 1946, Page 7

RIGHT OF POWERS

TRUSTEE_ DUTIES DRAFT AGREEMENTS RUSSIAN CONTENTION NEW YORK, Dec. 5. At a meeting of a trusteeship subcommittee to-day M. Novikov. Russia, pointed out that all trusteeship agreements must have the approval of all the States “directly concerned,” but no attempt had yet been made to define that phrase and no such approval had been obtained for any draft agreements submitted. He proposed that all five great Powers should have the right to be States directly concerned in all agreements, but said that did not necessarily mean they would all exercise that right in all cases; nor would it prevent any small States claiming a similar right. The big Powers should have that right, because they would be permanent members of the proposed Trusteeship Council. An American delegate, Mr. Dulles, said the United States did not consider that trusteeship powers alone should have the right to determine what were the States directly concerned, but did not see why the five great Powers should be given such a privilege. It would mean that they would, in effect, have a veto power over any trusteeship agreement, since such agreements must be approved by all the States directly concerned.

M. Novikov declared that the Soviet had no intention of “establishing a veto system in connection with trusteeship,” but M. Nyckmans, of Belgium, pointed out that if a great Power refused to sign a trusteeship agreement, that would void the agreement. Although M. Novikov did not make it clear, the other delegates’ impression was that he did not intend his proposal to apply to the agreements now being discussed, including New Guinea, but only to future agreements, including Nauru and Palestine.