Declares Treaty Aimed At Soviet And Contravenes U.N. Charter

Chronicle (Levin), 2 April 1949, Page 5

Declares Treaty Aimed At Soviet And Contravenes U.N. Charter

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Sfecifeived Friday, 8.50 p.m. LONDON; April 1., - The Tass Agency today amiouriced that a memorandu.ni by the Soviet Government on the Atlantic Pact was sent on March 31 to the Governments of the Uilited Strites, BritainA France, Belgium, the Netherlrihds, Lu^ehibetlt'g arid Cariada.- The memorandum, according to Tass, said: — ' "The text of the North Atlhhtie Treaty fully confirms what was said in its declaration by the Hussian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Jantiary 29 bdth as regards the Treaty s aggressive airhs and the fact that it coritradiets the pfinciples and aims of Umtfed Nations and the cormnitments whieh the United S^tates, Brifish and Frehch Governments have' assnrtied tthder other tteaties aild sl?r66'niGnts. , » 1 1 The statements contained in the North Atlantic Treaty are fhat it is designated fbr flfeffehfefe* and that it mogtiisfes the prmciples of United Nations, but it serves the aims which have nothmg in eommon either with the tasks of s&lf-clefferifefe of the pdrties to the Treaty or with the real reeogniticfn of the riimS and prmciples of United Nations. Of the great Potvefs orify the Soviet Uriibn is. exeltidfed from among the parties to this Treaty whtfeh fean be explairifed only by the fact that this- Treaty is direcfed agamst the Soviet tfnion.

"To justify the eonelusion of the North Atlantic Treaty references are being made to the fact that the boviet UniOn has defensive treaties with eountries of the people 's democraey. There references are utterly untenable. All the Soviet Union Treaties o± Frifendship and Mutual Assistance with cOilfitrifes of pfeople 's democraCy are of a in lateral nature and are directed solely aguinst the possible repetition of dennan aggression 6f whieh daflger no single peaceloving State can ue nnaware. The possibility of interpretuig them as treaties which are in any de gree aimed against the allies of Russia in the late war, against the United States or Britain or France, is absolutely precluded. Moreover, the Soviet Union has similar treaties against a repetition of dennan aggression not only with the eountries of the People 's Democraey but also with Britain and France. "In coritradistinetion to this the North Atlantic Treaty is not a bilaterai but a muftilateral treaty which ereates a closed grouping of States, and what is particularly important, absolutely ignores the possibility of a repetition of German aggression, not having consequently as its aim the prevention of a new de'rman aggression. And inasmuch as of thfe -great Powers which cdmprisfed the anti-Hitlerite Coalition only the Soviet Union is not a party to this Treaty, the North Atlantic Treaty niust be regarded as a Treaty direciea against one of the chief allies of the United States, Britain and France in the late war — against Russia. "The participants in the North Atlantic Treaty are effecting extensive military measures which can in no way, be justified by the interests of the seifdetferiee oi these eountries. The extensive military measures carried out by thfe United States in cooperation with hritain and France under present pfeaefetime conditions, including an increase ih all types of armed forces, the drafting of a plan for the utilisation- of the automatie weapon, the stockpiling of ritOin b'fembs which are purely an offensive weapon, the building of a network of air and naval bases, etc., by no means bfear a defensive character. "The preservation in YVashington of the combined Anglo-Ameriean staii organised during the Second World

War, the refefent feStablisiiment or rne military staff of the socalled We'Stfern' Union in Fontainebleau, as well as the intention immediately to set up the de fence cominittee envisaghd by thfe North Atlantic Treaty, is by no means an indication of the peaceloving oi dfefensive airiis of the participants ot the Treaty, but together with other numerous military preparations contri bhtes to intens'ifving anxifety ana alarm, and to the whipping up of war hvsteria in which all sorts of msti gators of a new war are also interested. " "The North Atlantic Pact is designed to daunt States' which don't agree to obey the dietate of the Anglo American grouping Of Powers that laj claim to world domination. One cannot but see the groundlessness of the antiSoviet motives of the Pact inasmuch as it is ktiown to all that the Sdviet Union does not intend to attack anyone and in no way threateng any of the parties to the Tfeatv. "It is perfectly evident that the North Atlantic Treaty runs eotinter to the United Nations Charter. The parties to the Treaty maintain that it represents regional atrrangement en: visaged by Charter articld 52, but this' claim is utterly groundless because. fhe Treaty em.braces States located in. bqth' hfeihispheres of the gfobd, and it has not as its aim fhe settlement of any regioilal isaues. Ner-can the Vstab-lishment ot the North Atlantic grouping of States be justified by the right of each mem ber of United Nations to individual or collective defence in conformity With Charter article 51. Such right under the Charter can arise only in the case of an armed attack against a ihember of fhe' p'rganisatioh. Yet, as is know.n1 to all, hohe. of the parties to the Pact. is threatened by any armed.. attack. Charter article 53 states directly that 'no enforcement action shall be taken on the strength of regional arrangements without the Hecurity Council 's authorisation. ' But this notwithstanding, article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty envisages the employment of arfned force by the parties to the Treaty without such authorisation. T'hiis even if the North Atlantic Treaty were to be eonsidered a regional arrangemeiit, article 5 of this Treaty is incdmpatible with United Nations Charter. ' '