Evening star., 1961-03-12

The General Assembly of the
United Nations recOnvened on
Tuesday to continue the 18th
session, recessed last December
with about twO-thirds Of its
stormy agenda completed.
There were delegates in the
United Nations Delegates Lounge
last week, not all Of them
from "anti-colonial" nations, who
wished with unofficial but fervent
warmth that the Republic Of
Congo was still the old Belgian
Congo, that the CongoleSe army
was still the Force Publique, and
that the mails. cables and trains
were still on schedule.
For the troubled Congo was
once again the main subject for
travail and forensics as the Cen
eral Assembly gathered to resume
it's 18th session. Certainly no reg
ular session of the international
organization has had the spec
tacular aspects Of this one. Almost
every head-of- state in the world
was present last September in
person, and amid all the security
challenges and direct theological
tiltS. a man named Nikita Khru-
Shchev banged his shoe on the
desk to emphasize his dislike Of
the way the Secretariat was being
run.
If anything, the situation in the
chaotic Congo was worse rather
than better than it was last De-
cember. When the Assembly voted
to recess, it did so mainly to per-
NIT Cd the newly-eleeted Ken
nedy administration to have the
time to find its bearings, and (0
to allow the factionalized political
anarchy Of the Congo to settle"
Some Adjustment
The Kennedy administration
appears to have had little diff
Guilty in adjusting itself to the in
heritance left by the Eisenhower
regime. Great and profound
changes in emphasis are un-
doubtedly taking place, but the
thread Of American foreign policy
remains unbroken while the new
tailers seek cautiously the proper
pattern in which to weave it.
But the Congo is more Of a
jungle than it was in the days Of
Stanley. The city named for the
great American explorer-"Mr.
Livingstone, preSume"-is today
the stronghold Of Antoine Gil
zenga, heir-apparent to the mur-
dered Patrice Lumumba, first
Premier Of the newly independent
Congo whose inclinations were too
pro- Communist to suit the views
OF other Congolese politicians and
especially Of the former Belgian
landlords.
When the Assembly was called
to order Tuesday, the first speak
er was Kwame Nkrumah, Presi-
dent Of Ghana and one of
emerging Africa'S most articulate
and shrewd leaders. He bore hard
on the Congo crisis. orienting it
with the preservation of the
prestige Of the U. N. "1f speedy
and effective action Is taken now
in the Congo" said the Ameri-
can-educated President, "the
United Nations will have that
prestige and moral backing which
it must have If it is to tackle
other, even graver, world prob
lens"
Mr.. Nkrumah proposed:
o That the U. N. emergency
force now in the Congo be in
creased to q battalions, with
supporting air and supply per-
sonnet;
Q That the U. N. take control
of all ports and airfields in the
Congo:
Q That the existing "Congolese
Army" split into warning, un-
disciplined factions, be disarmed
and then retrained under U. N.
control;
. That all foreign diplomatic
missions in the Congo be recalled
pending re-eStablishment of po-
litical stability, and that
o The Congolese Parliament,
dominated by Mr.. Lumumba be-
fore his displacement, be recon-
vened under President Joseph
KaSavubu'S direction.