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25

A large group of delegations took the view that nothing had happened since 1946 which justified a change of attitude or the alteration of existing measures against the Franco regime. They accordingly declared their intention of voting against the Polish resolution, on the grounds not only that it included assertions concerning the conduct towards Spain of the United States and the United Kingdom, of which there was no evidence and which had been directly denied by those two States, but' also that it proposed measures which the Spanish situation did not justify. In the result the Polish proposal was rejected paragraph by paragraph, especially large margins being recorded against two paragraphs condemning the conduct of the United States and the United Kingdom. The New Zealand delegation voted against these denunciatory paragraphs and, with the exception of paragraphs 1 and 4 on which they abstained, against all the recommendations of the Polish proposalv All paragraphs having been defeated the motion as a whole was not put to the vote. A much less decisive expression of opinion was recorded on the joint resolution, a large number of delegations following the lead of the United Kingdom and United States representatives in abstaining from voting. The joint resolution read : " The General Assembly, " Considering that, during its second session in 1947, a proposal intended to confirm the resolution of 12 December, 1946, on the political regime in power in Spain failed to obtain the approval of two-thirds of the votes cast, " Considering that certain Governments have interpreted the negative vote of 1947 as virtually revoking the clause in the previous resolution which recommended the withdrawal of heads of mission with the rank of Ambassador or Minister Plenipotentiary accredited to the Spanish Government, " Considering that, in view of the doubt regarding the validity of this interpretation, other Governments have continued to refrain from accrediting heads of mission to Madrid, thereby creating inequality to their disadvantage, " Considering that such confusion may diminish the prestige of the United Nations, which all members of the Organization have a particular interest in preserving, " Considering that in any event the 1946 resolution did not prescribe the breaking of political and commercial relations with the Spanish Government which have been the subject of bilateral agreements between the Governments of several member States and the Madrid Government, " Considering that, in the negotiation of such agreements, Governments which have complied with the recommendation of 12 December, 1946, are placed in a position of inequality which works to the disadvantage of economically weaker Governments, " Decides, without prejudice to the declarations contained in the resolution of 12 December, 1946, to leave member States full freedom of action as regards their diplomatic relations with Spain."