Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-27

COntlmueu From Rage A-zD
powers, II they were not. II was
realized that It would be useless to
expect the machine to operate.
y To insure this. q sort Of executive
body. the Security Council, was In
stituted, on which the five great
powers had permanent seats. Six
more seats were allocated for two
years at q time to other nations,
selected by the Assembly.
According to the Charter, whilst
the Assembly can recommend, only
the Council can act. All the sigma
tories Of the Charter undertook to
accept and carry out the decisions
Of the Council. but not those Of the
Assembly.
Since what were ut that time
regarded as the 1--WE great powers
had . veto In the Council, obvi-
ously action could never be taken
against one Of them, because no
nation was under Obligation to
obey resolutions Of the Assembly.
This sensible intention appears
now to be cast aside.
When the Charter was concocted
the great powers, with the excep-
ton Of Germany, were allies, and
1t was hoped that their mutual
good feeling and their common
detectives would ensure that they
would, in general. be in agreement.
Unhappily, this idealistic hope
was not fulfilled. Every time any
controversial question arose. Russia
interposed her veto. Often she
was alone, but usually any Iron
Curtain country, which had man
aged to get elected to the Security
Council by the Assembly, voting
In the curious manner I have
described, supported her.
In view of the persistent use of
the veto by Russia, q procedure was
introduced which was not originally
contained in the Charter. This
consisted in convoking q special
meeting Of the Assembly and OBJ
tanning a recommendation in the
desired sense. by two-thirds
majority.
Though no nation was, or is,
under an obligation to obey such
resolution, this procedure could give
veneer of U. NJ responsibility to
action which America or other
nations desired to take against
Russia's wishes.
Now it has been invoked against
us. and. of course. the considerable.
and very vocal. body Of people who
always think England must be
wrong have been bowling about her
delay in coming Immediately to
heel.
They accuse us of breaking our
word under the Charter. do not
suppose that / per cent of these
people have read the Charter. If
they had, they would have seen
that we have never undertaken to
obey the resolutions of the Assembly.
So far as I can see. this pro-
cedural change, namely, the
agreement to call the Assembly
together out of season, on the
& demand of seven nations, has
been used to insinuate sub silen-
7 ito a very vital change into the
constitution Of the United Ma
tons as laid down in the Charter.
AS l have said, according to the
Charter the Assembly is purely and
simply deliberative body. Pro-
vided that the Council is not
dealing with it, the. Assembly can
discuss any matter and make rec
concentrations. But If action Is
required. it must be referred to the
Security Council.
According to the Charter, .execu-
tive functions are the province of
the Security Council. So far as i
know. the Charter has not been
amended. and any executive powers
which the Assembly claims seem
to have been assigned to it by it
self-indeed, in recent months 1t
seems to have uSurped functions
that 1t was never intended to
exercise.
1t has instructed the Secretary
General, SO far as ! can see, to
raise a military force to negotiate
with Col. Nasser, to clear the Suez
Canal, and generally to take execu-
tive action.
can find no warrant, In the
charter to which we all subscribed,
for such action by the Assembly.
It is as though the House of Com
mons were to instruct the Clerk Of