THE RIGHT OF REFUGE

Grey River Argus, 14 February 1946, Page 5

THE RIGHT OF REFUGE

U.N.O. RECOGNITION All Soviet Proposals Rejected (Rec. 11.10.) LONDON, Feb. 13. Regarding the refugees m Europe, the Soviet delegate, M. Vyshinsky, urged the U.N.O. Assembly to pass Soviet proposals which were rejected at the committee stage. In a passionate speech, M. Vyshinsky said the Russian delegation approved the Committee’s report, which recommended that those refugees who object to returning to their own countries should not be compelled to do so. He said the Russian delegation, however, proposed an addition. M. Vyshinsky, pounding the table with his fist, said: “Some refugee camps are being transformed into centres for anti-democratic, fascism, propaganda, which is to be carried out by lying, terror and calumny. The Soviet asks that camps must not be used for propaganda against the interests of the United Nations, and the interests of the refugees’ countries. Steps should be taken to see quislings, traitors or war criminals should be returned to their countries or to countries where they committed crimes. There are many of the officers who are administering the camps who are of a highly suspicious and sometimes of a criminal character.” M. Vyshinsky proposed the following addition to the report: “Personnel of refugee camps should, first of all, be composed of representatives of States whose citizens are the refugees.” Mrs. Roosevelt opposed the Soviet proposals in the committee stage. She now did so again in the General Assembly, in a speech which was punctured by bursts of applause from the delegates and from the public gallery. She said that the United Nations are trying to consider the rights of man with a broader outlook. She added: “None had* disagreed.in Committee that those who had taken an active part against their country should be returned and punished. But there are differences. Some persons have fought against the enemies of their countries, but they are unwilling to return lo their countries because they disagree .with the present Government of their country. I think that we have shown in the past, few days that we do not intend t ohave refugee camps used as places of political agitation.” Mrs. Roosevelt was here referring to the raid by American occupation constabulary on the camps near Nuremberg and Munich. Mrs. Roosevelt concluded: “The Russian amendments are restrictive of human rights and freedom.” M. Winiewicz (Poland) supported the Soviet amendments. He expressed regret that the report did not refer to the view expressed in committee that those. Allied soldiers who have contributed to the common victory and who have elected not to return to their own country should not be ranked as refugees. They deserved something more than the status of destitute exiles in an alien land.” The Yugoslav delegate also supported Russia. Mr. Hector McNeil expressed Britain’s opposition to the Soviet amendments. He said: “propaganda” was a subtle, elusive term, one of which no delegate had offered a definition’ Britain had rejected the Soviet amendments on the principle that one person could not be both the accuser and the judge of another person. He asked: What was the purpose of asking that the Camp Supervisor should be of the same nationality as those supervised ? Mr. McNeil added: “I am proud of many of the refugees to whom Britain has given asylum. There are none of them of whom I am prouder than of Karl Marx.” Mr. Peter Fraser (New Zealand? said: “No man who loves freedom would agree that those are objecting to the government of their country should be placed under the subjection of those whom they oppose.” It was not tolerance that brought the world to war, but intolerance. Voting was then taken on the first Soviet amendment, namely, “that propaganda against the United Nations, and any of its members, or against the return of the refugees to the country of their origin, should not be permitted.” The voting was: Thirty-one against; ten for; with two absententions. The second Soviet amendment was then taken, namely, “that the personnel of the refugee displaced persons’ camps should, first of all, be composed of persons of the nationality of the refugees therein.” This was lost by 29 votes to 8 with eight abstentions. A third Soviet amendment was then decided, namely, “that quislang traitors and war criminals should not be regarded as refugees, and should immediately be returned to the country of their crimes.” This was also lost by 26 votes to .10, with six abstentions. The Assembly then adjourned The U.N.O. Permanent Headquarters Committee has received a letter from the supervisors of the town of Westchester, United States, objecting to the proposal that' the headquarters should be established at Stamford. The letter says: “The people are unalterably opposed to the site, because Stamford was not consulted, and because of an immense area to be taken.” It points uot that seven of eight towns representing eighty-five per cent, of j.he land on the site oppose the proposal. The letter accuses the U.N.O.'sub-com-mittee of acting hastily, its_plan having been prepared “in thirty-six hours.” Mr. Lie, the U.N.O. Secretary, in a letter to the U.N.O. Permanent Headquarters Committee, urges the committee/to .make as soon" as possible a recommendation to the Assembly which would enable him to take swift, confident action to establish a secretariat for a suitable interim headquarters. Mr. Lie pointed out he would not. appoint a secretariat until able to indicate where they were expected to live and work. He added he was disturbed by some delegates’ implications that responsibility for choosing either a general location or even interim headquarters should rest on him. I-Ie desired full authorisation from the General Assembly in this matter.