REAFFIRMATION VOTE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26622, 19 November 1947, Page 5

REAFFIRMATION VOTE

CONDEMNATION OF FRANCO REGIME

ASSEMBLY DENIES APPROVAL Rec. 10, p.m. NEW YORK, Nov. 17. The United Nations General Assembly to-night failed by one vote to carry the reaffirmation of its resolution last year condemning the Franco regime in Spain. This clause in the resolution from the Political Committee obtained 20-16 votes, but was rejected because it failed to obtain the two-thirds majority. The Assembly instead, by 36 votes to 5, with 12 abstentions, passed a resolution merely expressing confidence that the Security Council will exercise its responsibilities under the Charter as soon as it considers situations in regard to Spain so requires. Last year, the resolution, in addition to condemning Franco, recommended all members to withdraw their ambassadors from Madrid. It had appeared from the vote in the Political Committee —30 to 14—that the reaffirmation of this decision would obtain the two-thirds majority in the Assembly. The United States led the opposition and was joined in the voting against it to-night by Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Honduras, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, the Phillipines, Turkey, and South Airica.

The United States was the only one of the Big Five to vote negatively. Afghanistan, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Iraq, the Lebanon, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia abstained. After the vote Mr Lange (Poland) told the Assembly: “The struggle against the Franco regime and the remnants of Fascism, wherever they are, will continue, Democratic forces in the world will remember those who were instrumental in removing this paragraph from our resolution, and they will determine their future political attitude accordingly.”