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Seven amendments were put forward by delegations. All were eventually withdrawn, except those of Brazil and New Zealand, the two amendments farthest removed from the original text. The proposal by Brazil would have provided a solution most favourable to the Italians, in that it gave them back their former colonies under United Nations trusteeship. Since the amendment clearly had little or no chance of being adopted, the Brazilian representative stated that his delegation would take up as their own the Italian proposals for an adjournment of the final decision on the fate of the Italian colonies for one year, in the meanwhile treating the territories in question as res nullius, which would enable Italy to concern herself by administrative action with the well-being of her colonists. The New Zealand amendment was of a more far-reaching character. It proposed, firstly, the renunciation of sovereignty in the Italian colonies by Italy in favour of the United Nations, and, secondly, an undertaking on the part of the Allied and Associated Powers to hand over to the General Assembly the question of the future administration of the former Italian territorial possessions. (The statement of the New Zealand delegate is attached as Appendix 4.) During the course of the discussion, several delegates spoke in favour of New Zealand's proposal, but those countries made it clear that, while they agreed in principle, they would nevertheless support the Big Four solution as being the one most likely under the circumstances to achieve practicable results. Both the Italian and Egyptian representatives spoke, and also delegates from Ethiopia, Brazil, New Zealand, Greece, Canada, China, the United States, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, Yugoslavia, Belgium, and the U.S.S.R.. The South African and Australian delegates were most anxious that there should be a definite understanding that the countries—and notably the British Dominions—which had taken part in the liberation of this territory, should be consulted in its settlement. In response to a formal request by the South African delegate, this matter was referred to the Council of Foreign Ministers, which was sitting in Paris at the time, with the result that a satisfactory declaration was made, and the South Africans and other delegates were enabled to withdraw their amendments^).

(*) Article 17 of the Draft Peace Treaty. —ln answer to a question put at the last meeting by the delegate for South Africa, concerning the interpretation of Article 2 of the draft declaration of the Four Powers, the delegate for the United Kingdom made the following statement (see CP (IT/P), Doc. 82) : " This question was considered by the Council of Foreign Ministers yesterday, and I am happy to be able to inform the South African delegate and the Commission that the Council, for their part, understand the existing phrase as meaning that those allied countries who fought in Africa during the last war will, amongst others, be fully consulted on the question of the disposal of the Italian colonies before any final decision is taken by the Council itself. How exactly this consultation will take place must be left for the Council itself to determine, but I can assure members of the Commission that no obstacle whatever will be placed in the way of a full exposition of the views of those Governments to which I have referred."