Evening star., 1961-08-24
Tunisi1 and the World

Iunisio and the World
Adlai Stevenson, our chief delegate
to the United Nations, has made a good
speech against the 31-nation Afro
Asian resolution (Which is sponsored
also by YugoSlavia) on the difficult and
delicate dispute between France and
TuniSia.
The dispute, which has to do
primarily with the French naval base
near Bizerte, involves complex legal and
political questions that could be much
better handled through the channels
OF quiet diplomacy and bilateral nego-
t1ation. But the Afro-Asian members
OF the u NJ, with the laudable exception
OF several Of Frances former colonies.
nave insisted upon staging the current
noisy special session of the General
assembly (even though the regular
session is scheduled to convene Just a
few weeks from now) to debate the
matter and adopt their proposed
resolution.
II This resolution, although most of
us sponsors describe themselves as
+neutraliStS," is actually anything but
neutral Its wording, implicitly and
otherWiSe, is altogether biased and adds
up to a kind Of pre-judgment and
condemnation of France. Accordingly,
despite the fact that the United States
is in slightly agonizing position be-
cause OF its equally friendly ties with
Paris and TuniS, Ambassador Stevenson
mas plainly indicated that our Govern
ment will abstain from voting on the
issue unless the resolutions present
language is moderated in a way that
VIII encourage, rather than discourage,
fruitful Franco-Tunisian negotiations.
s 1t need hardly be added, of course
That the Kremlin's representative in the
Assembly has been doing his best to
prevent such negotiations In predict
able fashion, he has exploited the
AsSembly'S rather absurd current Ses-
sion to cut loose with propaganda
against Western (meaning particularly
Amerlcan) bases in various parts of the
world. This propaganda-so unSubtle
that even some of our Afro-ASian
friends must find it both offensive and
laughable-haS been effectively coun-
tered by Mr.. Stevenson. In properly
sharp and ironic language, he has made
clear certain undeniable facts that
ought to be kept in mind by literate
people everywhere, even in those lands
where it seems to be kind of sport to
needle" America and be somewhat
stupid, if not poisonous, about the
nature of our way of doing things.
@ In any case, ill-informed critics to
one side land this includes what used
toabe called The Manchester Guardian"
OF Britain), Mr. Stevenson has made
mincemeat of Soviet bombaSt about
western "colonialiSm" and Imperial
ism" AS he has put it, referring not
only to East Berlin but to the whole
character Of the KremIin'S operations
behind the Iron Curtain, there is every
reason for the non-Communist world to
keep everlastingly in mind that Mos
cows record of cynical suppression of
freedom and self-determination is in
sharp contrast to the Self-righteouS-
ness of its rhetoric"
r Let nobody forget these things. Let
nobody forget that the Kremlin-even
while it mouths supremely hypocritical
and mendaciouS words about the
present state of the world, including
Berlin-iS practicing the worst kind of
imperialism. AS Mr.. Stevenson has
Suggested, it is an imperialism that
ought to be met head-on by all those
Afro-Asian nations that seem indiffer-
ent to the fact that Moscows "con-
qliering armies are still in Poland, in
East Germany, in Hungary and other
conntrieS-16 years after the last war"
s. Why should any people anywhere
expect us to be indulgent toward them
when they refuse to recognize this
altogether grim reality? The question
speaks for itself, and it helps to explain
why Congress is in sort of rebellion
against giving aid to countries (such
as India) that seem more inclined to
go along with the Soviet way of in
terpreting things than with ours.
=