Evening star., 1945-05-12
Regional Force Seen
Next Step at PorIey
But Veto Power Could Block
This Arrangement, Says Writer
By David Laurence


This Arrangement, Says Writer
By David Laurence
SAN FRANCISCO, May 12-Having
failed to achieve here worldwide or
ganization to enforce peace in all cir
cumstances, the next step now seems
to be in the direction of regional
systems.
The difference between the two ideas
Is, OF course, that in the one all the
military power of the world would be
concentrated on the task of squelching
any threat OF war. and in the other the
world organization delegates regional
enforcement to regional bodies.
In practical sense this means that
the inter-American countries could re-
ceive from the security council dele
CATION Of power to handle any prob
lens In this hemisphere when aggres-.
sion arises from any source. But this
also means that in European affairs a
similar delegation of power would have
to be made.
On its face this looks like a simple
solution, but everything depends on
what effect the veto power granted at
Yalta to the big powers will have on
the exercise OF delegated powers. Thus,
II any major power can block any step
leading up to delegation of authority
to regional system, the result is vir-
utally the same as if there had been no
regional arrangement. For a European
power could block action by any Ameri-
can country against aggressors inside
this hemisphere and any American
country could block action by any Euro
pean country.
Effort TO Limit Veto.
In the final analysis there is a readi-
ness to allow the security council to
delegate power to regional bodies, but
with the understanding that the action
must be the joint operation of the
members in that area and not unilat-
eral or single-handed affair.
No matter which area Is affected,
whether the American hemisphere or
the European continent, the fact re-
mains that nothing can be done If any
OF the major powers exercise their veto
power in the security council.
This is recognized here and Is ac-
cepted as one of the unfortunate results
OF the Yalta agreement, but there is
an effort here, nevertheless, to limit
the veto powers of the major countries
so that they will not be able to block
recommendation made to the court of
public opinion by the council.
AS matters stand now, any major
power which is itself party to a dispute
cannot vote to prevent recommends
tion or finding from being publicized
But there is nothing in the charter as
amended at Yalta which would prevent
any major power that happens not to
be party to a dispute from blocking
such recommendation, anyway. Thus,
France and Italy might have a quarrel
and the security council might consider
recommendations for settlement. France
herself as a member of the council
would not be able to block the publica-
ton of recommendation. But Russia,
being bound by treaty of alliance with
France, could block the making of any
recommendation by the security coun-
Gil.
Could Be Solved.
If the charter is amended so that no
nation which is or is not a party to a
dispute may not use her veto power to
prevent the publication of findings or
recommendations for a solution of
dispute that threatens peace, the situa-
ton would be solved.
Actually all that is sought here Is a
chance to mobilize world opinion to
prevent the outbreak of war. It would
appear that this is the least that could
be voted at San Francisco as a means
OF overcoming the bad impression given
by the original scope of the Yalta voting
procedure with unlimited veto to the
major powers who sit on the security
council.
Anthony Eden,s discussion with the
press this week was designed to reveal
the effort at revision which is being
made, but at the moment the proposal
for limitation of the veto power has to
be submitted to various delegations for
their approval, and the Big Four them
selves are not yet agreed on it.
Everything here revolves around pro-
lection of Russias interests. Russia, in
the first instance, insisted on the veto
power or would not have joined in any
world league. America and Britain
themselves were ready to go all the way
and submit to the discipline of a secu-
rity council. The present status is that
no military coercion can be applied
against any major power, and hence
the drive is to get such machinery into
the charter as will make it possible for
the world to learn by an official pro-
nouncement of the council who Is and
who is not an aggressor in any con-
troversy that arises to threaten world
peace.
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