PARIS

WISH those people who still

believe in that dangerous fic-
tion, “the democratic majority
in the United Nations,” could
spend an hour in the Steering
‘Committee.

This body is set up by the
General Assembly. ‘Tts_ chief
task is to recommend which of
the items proposed by member
nations should or should not be
included on the Assembly’s
agenda. :

You might imagine this to
be a dry procedural task. It
is not. Just watch and you
will see. :

In the present session—the
Assembly’s sixth—the Steering
Committee was called upon to
decide whether or not the
‘United Nations should discuss
a resolution put forward by the
Arab states on the situation
in French Morocco.

These states say that basic
human right are being ‘trampled
upon in that area and ithat this
is a breach of the United Na-
tions Charter. They want the
Assembly ‘to examine the mat-
ter.

As the Syrian delegate said,
if the United Nations is going
to be united against the com-
plaints of those whose liberties

..are being trampled upon, then
its future is black indeed.

Now France, naturally enough
does not want Morocco to be
discussed in public. She does
not want anyone to quote the
remark of General Guillaume
when he arrived to take over
the government in October.

“I. accept the fight... .
Forward, joyfully.” And later:
“Roughhouse is my trade. I
am responsible for Europe’s
southern ‘flank, which is in
danger.”

Nor does France want anyone
to go into the events in Casa-
blanca, ‘Fez and Khenifra in re-
cent weeks.

There are six dead, 200
‘wounded, and well over 2,000
arrests to account for. /

There is the fact that the Sul-
tan is held incommunicado to
be explained.

There is the fact that the
general secretary. of the rail-
waymen’s union was arrested
for making a speech that Gen-
eral Guillaume did not like.

In ‘Casablanca 22 people ar-

rested at random during a de- ~

monstration were jailed for four
to 18 months.

Utterly preposterous fake
elections have been held which
were boycotted by even those
few Moroccans who were allow-
ed to vote.

The population is living in un-
relieved misery, without social
services or adequate food.

As you will see, France ‘has
solid reasons for keeping Mor-
occo off the UN agenda,

So has the United States.
There are now seven American
long-range bomber ‘bases built
er building in Morocco. The
country is thus of the greatest
importance to ‘the American
war machine.

The Americans, , therefore,
support the French. But if
they make that support open

they will antagonize the Arab -

countries.

And are they not trying to
woo the Arabs into the Middle
East ‘Command?

There you have the Ameri-
can dilemma. Now observe how
these little problems are solved
in the Steering Committee.

Canada is put up ‘to propose
that the Moroccan question be
deferred for the time being.

’ This, as anyone can recognize
at a glance, is the pigeonhole
treatment—a major stand-by of
diplomacy down the ages.

It has the advantage in this

OE TE Ut Tr tes ee ee ee ee eT

Ee Bie De ee See Dee Sie hae Tae Tee Te Ue Ee te ee Ti te ee Be Te oe Te Ge

How the Yanks

fix the rules
in the

i

case ‘that the Americans do not
have to vote against the Arab
proposal. And the French
who understand perfectly the
meaning of “for the time being”
—can safely agree.

But, says the Syrian delegate,
it is out of order for the Steer-
ing Committee to make any
such proposal.

The committee is guided by
the rules. And Rule 40 lays
down precisely what the com-
mittee has to do:

“It shall consider the pro-
vis‘onal agenda and _ shall
make recommendations to
the General Assembly with
regard ito each item proposed,
concerning its inclusion in the
agenda, ‘the rejection of the
request for inclusion, or the
inclusion of the item in the
provisional agenda of a fut-
ure session.”

It can approve, reject or de-
fer to next year, Tt cannot de-
fer indefinitely.

Whatever we do, says Syria,
we cannot accept the Canadian

SER ue

CT CE Oe Ce ee

By DEREK KARTUN

proposal.

Then Syria proceeds ‘to de-
stroy the French claim that
Morocco is part of metropoli-
tan France and that UN, there-
fore, cannot intervene in a pure-
ly internal matter.

Does not France have treaties
with Morocco, asks Syria. She

does. But how can a country
have treaties with herse!f?
Clearly, she cannot... Clearly,

the Morrocan events are a clash
between one power and another.
They can be properly discussed
in the United Nations.

It is impossible adequately to
convey to anyone who was-not
actually present what happened
next in the Steering Committee.

Sir Gladwyn Jebb, the very
personification of the Foreign
Office, made a suave little
speech, the substance of which
was: Come, come, gentlemen.
You may read Rule 40 in one
way. I happen to read it in an-
other. Let us have an end to
th’s nonsense and vote on the
Canadian proposal.

»

Warren Austin (United
States) said that the word “re-
commendations” made it pos-
sible for the committee to do
anything it pleased. No one

believed for a moment in this

piece of nonsense, but Mr. Aus-
tin sat back, smoothed his tie,

and ‘tried to look like a states- -

man.

Jacob Malik (USSR) pointed -
out drily that according to the

rules the committee could not
accept the Canadian ‘proposai.
But that if they wanted to tear
up the rule book—agid certain
powers had been making a
habit of so doing — then, of
course, they could accept the
proposal. ~

And the majority did accept
it:
e

Thus’ the Steering ‘Committee
under American direction, did
two shocking things. :

It violated UN rules. And it
smothered the plight of several
million’ people who are brutally

_ oppressed.

Democrtic majority? Respect
for the rule of law? MHonest
efforts to strengthen UN and
‘build peace? {I think not.

No doubt Morocco is a com-
paratively minor question by
contrast with the earth-shaking
issue of war or peace.

But this is precisely how the
American majority flouts the
rules and the Charter when
war and peace are being dis-
cussed.

The Americans intend to use
exactly these ‘methods’ to
strengthen the General Assem-
‘bly, where they have a majori-
ty, at the expense of the Securi-
ty Council, where’ décisions
have to be taken by the Big
Five in agreement.

The gasp that went round
the conference room’when the
Steering Committee ttook its il-
legal decision on Morocco
would become a _ world-wide
roar of protest if only people
could actually see it happening.

As I said, I only wish the
world could sit in on some of
these proceedings ‘for an hour.

pictures show.

been erecied this year. Among

a ot

USSR - land of new c

The Soviet Union is a land of new construction, as these
In Moscow alone more than a thousand new build-
ings. meluding eight tall buildings like that shown at right, have

them are apartment houses—700

families will soon move into a 32-storey apartment building on the

Canal.

onstruction

Moscow river embankment—and ‘the splendid new edifice of Mos-
cow University on the Lenin Hills, shown at top left.
bottom picture two designers are seen discussing the model for a
new type of house to be built for workers on the Main Turkmenian

In the

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 14, 1951 — PAGE 4

et