PROSPECTS OF WORLD PEACE BRIGHTER, THINKS MR. DOIDGE

Wanganui Chronicle, 31 October 1950, Page 5

PROSPECTS OF WORLD PEACE BRIGHTER, THINKS MR. DOIDGE

AUCKLAND, Oct. 29, (PA).— Brighter hopes for world peace were held by the Minister of External Affairs, Mr. Doidge, today, on his return from his mission overseas. He said there had been renewed confidence in the United Nations, following the approval by the General Assembly’s political committee of the Western Plan to prevent the vetfl from causing deadlocks when aggression had to be met, and as a result of the successful action in Korea. This feeling was most heartening, said Mr. Doidge. However, he said, he felt sure the Russians would now seek to lull people into a false sense of security. He issued a warning against this. Mr. Doidge was present at the United Nations’ debate on the Western plan to bypass the veto which, he said, made it possible for the General Assembly to meet within 24 hours to decide what should be done in the event of aggression if the security council should, fail to come to agreement. He said this was one of the most important debates in which Unitea Nations’ delegates had ever taken part and its result made it impossible for any one country like Russia to use the veto to frustrate the purposes of peace. “Now that this policy has been adopted and that power of the veto can no longer be used by Russia to frustrate the intention of the United Nations, the whole situation has changed,” said Mrs. Doidge. “The result is apparent to anybody who has been associated with the recent proceedings at the United Nations. “There is an uplift, a change that is most marked. You can sense it wherever you go at Lake Success. In the last session of the United Nations there was a spirit of gloom, frustration and despondency, but now, as a result of the action taken by the United Nations in Korea and the success achieved there, together with the new decision which robs the veto of its power, there is a new spirit, altogher, of confidence.

“Mr. Vyshinsky and Mr. Malik, who have been so aggressive in the past, are now very subdued and it is clear that Russia is pursuing a new policy and approach,” said Mr. Doidge. “That is to the good, but it is still obvious that if we want peace we must be strong enough to ensure that peace prevails. For that reason let us not be lulled into any false sense of security. There may be a danger of that, because I am quite sure that, the Soviet delegates will from now on seek to achieve that purpose.