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of the Chairman and other methods of obstruction. If such methods continue, member States will be unable to rely upon the Assembly to take expeditious decisions on urgent questions; the failure of the Assembly to take up at the recent meeting the problem of the disposal of the former Italian colonies is an example. Another inevitable result will be a decline in the level of representation. The Assembly was intended to be a forum for high political discussion between principals, meeting for a few weeks every year ; but clearly it will not be possible for senior members to attend sessions stretched out, to meet the tactical purposes of a few delegations, into several months. The resolution adopted by the Assembly on Palestine is less precise than our delegation would have wished. In particular it omits to provide the Conciliation Commission which has been set up with any clear indication of the Assembly's wishes in regard to the fixation of boundaries. It does, however, through the establishment of this Commission ensure that any disposition towards agreement that may exist between the parties is assisted and encouraged by the United Nations. It also provides for the protection of the Holy Places, a special regime for Jerusalem, and the resettlement of refugees. The resolution which was presented to the plenary meeting by the competent committee was more definite than that finally adopted. However, it appeared certain that the committee resolution would fail of the necessary twothirds majority in the plenary meeting. To avoid this result and the consequent confession of impotence by the Assembly, New Zealand joined with a number of other delegations in sponsoring certain amendments which, though at some sacrifice, did ensure that the resolution could be passed and the authority of the Assembly in regard to the further settlement of this most important question maintained. The resolution adopted by the Assembly in regard to Korea sets up a Seven-power Commission to lend its good offices to bring about the unification of Korea and to perform certain other connected tasks. It also declares that a lawful Government has been established in those parts of Korea where elections were held under United Nations auspices— i.e., in the south. The resolution was bitterly opposed by the Soviet group, but supported by virtually the whole of the rest of the Assembly. Representatives of the Government of Southern Korea participated without vote in the deliberations of the Committee. When the Soviet States urged that representatives of the " People's Democratic Republic " of (Northern) Korea should be heard, I asked for proof that this Government had been elected under fair conditions, and stated that if satisfactory evidence to this effect were produced the New Zealand delegation would not oppose the participation of Northern Korean representatives in the discussion. No such evidence was produced, though the democratic character of the Government was strongly asserted by the Soviet representatives.