N.Z. Scheme: To Amend Veto Being Considered

Chronicle (Levin), 19 March 1948, Page 3

N.Z. Scheme: To Amend Veto Being Considered

W ELDIN^TON, March 18. / • A propo'sai by' the'-New Zeaiaxid Oovernxnent to amend tjie princip'le of veto .ik how bejng .eongidered by. a sub-com^ mittee of jthe'-ypQurity Coxincil of the United Nations. The sub-eommittee is called upon to' subm.it its finding not, l'ater than May 15. -This inforniation is coutained in a series of cablegrains received by the Prigie Minister (Mr. Fraser) from Hir, Oarl Berendse'n, New Zealand r^xresentative to the United Nations. "The amendnient proposed by the; New Zealand (lovernment ' is that Artiele- 27 of the Gharter whieh' provides for voting in .the Secuxity. Couneil should be altered so that the words ' concurring votes of the permanent ' members be replacfed by tlie words "concuiTing votes of four of the live pennaneilt members, '■ and that the interim committee make a recommendation to the G-eneral Assembly with a view to instituting proc.edure for amending the Gharter accordingly, ' ' says the official statement-. "The New Zealand Government," said Mr. Fraser, "has consistently opposed the principje M?f the veto and has noted that in practlce the provisions ot the Charter eoncerning voting- in the Security Couneil have prevented the" establisliment of ■ hn eff eetive system ot collective security -against aggression. For this reason th'e Government wiii support any proposals designed to elim■inate or modify' th^present .pi'oyisionl of the Charten. f eqpfVaiig. • xijigniipit^ -df the permanent unembers of the Security

Gouncil. ' ' The message received to-day from Sir Carl Berendsen stated that on March 17 the interim committee had started,an exaxnfnation of the problem of voting in the Security Gouncii. After the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand and Argentina had explaine'd their proposals and a number of other r'epresentatives, inainly Lat)n-American, had spoken it- was nnanimously agreed t'o establish a subcommittee bf 17 members to consider the proposals put forward. " "Tu xuaking the proposal now pjgeed before the comxnitteettSe New .Zealand Goveruxueut is actualed by a aesire not •to destroy anv parts of the Charter but rather to ■ pxihble the obj.ective,s,_ particularly the xuaiirteuance of peace, to be xuaiix'taixxed. In that spirit," said Sir ; GiVl in -hi,s* ad'dress, "AVe -'do not propose the eliixiiuation of the veto nordo we ask for a voice equal to tlxat of Din o'TCH.t Powers We believe that our , i~> | • I . :proposal will reduce the arbitrary and 'c-apricious misuse of the veto which has b iirf *hot blily- theq?vestig-e of.-the United. Nxuiidxrs"' Xul: alsiLIEffi, jiaqse . of , ,pgace;,: We Will "support" "tlie"' proposals "of tlie" l.'xxited Kingdoxxx, United States and .otlier couxxtries if they are the best thg.t could be obtained, bxx2 'we consider they do not go .f^f ^efic/u|h)S ^d-^tlla't r>we should make a&bplddi1 ./atf eiupi 4sf injfl,- • cated in our proposal. , '