INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 7, 9 January 1946, Page 5

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

NEW PHASE IS OPENING

UNITED NATIONS ASSEMBLY IS TO MEET TO-MORROW

Reed. 6 p.m. (Official News Service). London, Jan. 7. The stage is set in London for the opening of a new phase in international affairs—the actual functioning of the United Nations Organisation for peace and security.

Preceded by the first State banquet since before the war, the opening of the Assembly will be a great formal occasion. There is every hope, however, and good reason to believe, that it will be much more than that. Every effort will be made to ensure that an early end will be put to formalities themselves, and to those matters of a procedural or machinery nature which still are to be resolved, so that Assembly will get down, in the shortest possible time, to its real business of tackling urgent international problems.

Among lhe first tasks the Assembly will be asked to take up is tiiat of voting on a i esolution for the setting up of a commission to deal with the control of atomic energy. This commission will consis. of one representative of each of the eleven nations—the five great Powers, and six others to be elected —on the Security Council, together with Canadia, when Canada is not a member of ;he Council SPEED UP L.N.R.R.A. The British delegation has tabled a resolution inviting the Assembly to speed up the extension of the reof the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. The British proposal would broaden ana increase financial and other support for U.N.R.R.A., and make it the first great worldwide business under > taKen by the new organisation. It is expected that nex: week will be devoted to a general debate on the basis of the report of the Preparatory Commission, which sat in London in November, working out rules and me hods of procedure of the new organisation. This discussion wili be free and far-reaching, covering probably the whole field of international relations, and it is likely that many matters rot specifically on the agenaa will at least be brought to the attention of the Assembly. The report of the Preparatory Commission itself may give rise to some additional points of debate. One of these was a formula for bringing in io being a trusteeship system for dependent territories. Once the exact method has been adopted, early steps are expected to be taken to draw up, for the approval of trustee-hip, agreements for a number of mandated territories, sc that a Trusteeship Council may be lormed. Western Samoa may be among the first of these, since the New Zealand Government has led the way be declaring its readiness to place this mandate under the system as soon as it may be practicable, thus reaffirming its belief, expressed long before the San Francisco Conference, m the principle of trusteeship, and, at the same time, effectively dispelling, as far as New Zealand is concerned, inferences from some quarters in the Preparatory Commission that they welcomed any delay in staring the trusteeship system. Other important matters for the Assembly will include the election of a council and of members of ihe Economic and Social Council, and of the first president of the Assembly (the name of M. Spaak, Belgian Foreign Minister, is being freely pientioned). SECRET ARY-GENERALSHIP The most impoitant individual appointment will be that of the Sec-retary-General. There has been much conjecture about possible candidates for this position, and although the name of Mr. Lester B. Pear-on, the Canadian Ambassador o the United Slates, has gained much prominence lately, the choice still appears open.

The opening day approaches in an atmosphere of realism, contrasting strongly, according to experienced observers, with glowing ideaiLm with which the old League of Nati\s, was s.arted on its career, and as me “London Star” says to-night, “remembering the ghastly penalties of failure, this time the world is surely right to pin its faith to the United Nations Organisation.” americatTcommittee Washington, Jan. 7. The five-man committee announced by Mr. Byrnes to study the safeguards and controls needed to protect the United States knowledge oi atomic energy, consist of the UndeiSecretary of State, Mr. Dean Acheson • chairman), Mr. J. J. McCloy, former assistant Secretary' of War and Dr. Vannevar Bush, Dr. J. B. Conant, and Major-General Leslie Groves, who directed and supervised the development of atomic energy.