N.Z. Challenges Russia

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31110, 13 July 1966, Page 18

N.Z. Challenges Russia

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK, July 12. New Zealand yesterday challenged Russia to a full-dress debate of the Vietnam war in the United Nations.

The Soviet Union declined.

The challenge grew out of a bitter clash in the Trusteeship Council between Australia and Russia over Soviet charges that New Guinea was being used to aid the “aggressive war” in Vietnam. The Soviet delegate, Mr Nikolai R. Makarevich, repeated his earlier assertions in the council that the Aus-tralian-administered territory was used as a stop-over point for ferrying troops and equipment to Vietnam. The Australian Minister, Mr Dudley McCarthy, rejected the charge that his nation has aggressive purposes and told Mr Makarevich that Australia had a United Nations mandate to provide defence

of the territory. This was all Australia was doing, he said.

The New Zealand chief delegate, Mr Frank Corner, said the possibility of a larger-scale debate on Vietnam was opened by Mr Makarevich’s charges. The Trusteeship Council was not the place for it, he said. Mr Corner said the Soviet Union had an opportunity to discuss Vietnam in the proper form, the Security Council, “but the Soviet Union has refused to take up this opportunity.” The United States had asked for a Security Council debate on Vietnam, but the matter got nowhere because Russia and other members were not interested in discussing it.

“If the Soviet Union wanted to discuss Vietnam in the United Nations, I and other members would welcome such a discussion,” Mr Corner said. “We shall state our case in due course,” Mr Makarevich replied.