Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-06-28
Britain Rejects
U. n. Proposal
On RhOdesia

q 4CoOA0S4O4A ACA44dA41141S OO41- |
stitutional changes there.
Sir Patrick Dean, summing |
up for Great Britain after |
nearly three weeks of debate, |
voiced unqualified opposition |
to the resolution sponsored by |
38 African and Asian coun-
tries and backed by the Soviet |
bloc. Sponsors of the meas
ure predicted beforehand they
would receive at least IS votes,
far over the necessary two
thirds majority needed. One
African-Asian group spokes-
man said he had been in
formed the United States would
abstain.
The resolution seeks to have
Britain repeal the December,
1861, constitution, branded by
its foes as designed to per-
Ipetuate white rule. It seeks a
constitutional convention In
which African political leaders
would WELD power equal to
that of whites.
Mr.. Dean commended the
Assembly had no authority to
intervene in the affairs of a
self governing territory, that
Britain cannot force Southern
Rhodesia to repeal the conSti-
tuition, and that his govern
; ment had gone more than
halfway to Cooperate with the
United Nations in dealing with
this question and with the
whole range of questions af-
fecting dependent territories
for which the United Kingdom
! still has responsibilities"
/ Lashes SOviets
LaShing back at Soviet bloc
accusations during the debate,
; Mr.. Dean said. MY country
has been accused here of
; falsely claiming to have
granted freedom to a number
of our colonial territories. 1t
appears that, according to GER
tain doctrinaire political the
; cries, colonial emancipation
should have been-and there
fore by a process of double
think was-in all cases
achieved through bitter revolu-
tionary struggle"
The 38 sponsors of the reso-
luton charged that the 1861
constitution-which has not yet
taken effects designed to
perpetuate the rule of the 200,-
900 white settlers in the ter
ritory over the 3 million
Africans.
They compared discrimina-
ton against the Africans with
South Africa's apartheid race
policies and warned that an
: other Algerian blood bath could
occur unless Africans in South
ern Rhodesia gained political
equality.
;. Britain Pleads
Britain has pleaded that the
Assembly take no action that |
might provoke racial warfare
and upset it's schedule for
bringing the African population
to more power gradually. The
resolution does not set a target
date for independence, and
sponsors said they hoped Brit
ain would follow its traditional
policy Of speeding territories to
freedom.
The Assembly closed out
another major item relating to
Africa yesterday, voting, $50,
to split the Belgian trust ter
ritory of Ruanda- Urundi into
the independent Republic of
Rwanda and Kingdom of Bu-
rundi on July /.
Soviet bloc spokesman during
the debates demanded that
Britain set Southern Rhodesia
free by the end of his year and
break up the iederation of the
Rhodesias and Nyasaland. The
special U. N. Committee on
Decentralization plans to press
for independence for Northern
Rhodesia and Nyasaland in the
next General Assembly opening
September 10.
The Soviet bloc abstained on
the Ruanda- Urundi vote after
the Assembly rejected its de-
mand that the 900 Belgian
paratroops keeping order in the
territory get out before mid
night Saturday.
U. N. Supervision
Instead the Assembly set
August l as the deadline for
departure Of the Belgian troops
but agreed they could remain
on invitation Of the new gov
ernments. The Assembly also
authorized appointment of
U. N. official to supervise the
evacuation, train police forces
of the two new nations and
funnel U. N. economic aid to
them.
Acting Secretary General U
Thant named Taghi Nasr,
former Finance Minister of
Iran, to the post.
Burundi has announced it
wants the Belgian troops to
leave by August /. Rwanda has
announced no decision, but
some delegates expect it to keep
the Belgian forces because of
the possibility of warfare be-