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Four main proposals were advanced in the sub-committee : (a) independence ; (b) a United Nations trusteeship; (c) partition, the eastern provinces going to Ethiopia, the western to the Sudan ; and ( d) a United Nations Commission of Inquiry. Since many of the facts and arguments which support these proposals—in particular the United KingdomUnited States case for (c) and the Pakistan counter-arguments against such a solution —are already on record,* and since they will be subject to minute re-examination by the Commission of Inquiry, summary of them is dispensed with in this report. The proposal of the United States and Indian delegations (with which the delegations of Brazil, Iraq, and Liberia were also associated) must, however, be recorded because, despite its lack of success, it was a creative fusion of the most important viewpoints. This joint proposal envisaged a temporary federal union between Eritrea and Ethiopia under the leadership of the Ethiopian Emperor. Foreign Affairs, finance, communications, commerce, and currency would have fallen within the domain of the Federal Government, in which Eritrea would have participated as an autonomous unit. In all other affairs there would have been full self-government for Eritrea as soon as a constitution had been agreed upon. The task of drafting a constitution (a model draft of which was presented by the Indian representative as an illustration of a possible type of Federal Government) would have been undertaken under the guidance of a United Nations Commissioner and a group of experts, and would not have become effective until approved by the Emperor of Ethiopia on behalf of Ethiopia, and by the United Nations Commissioner on behalf of the Eritreans. In order to safeguard fully the wishes of the Eritrean population, there would have been a plebiscite at the end of ten years, at which time any province of Eritrea could have decided to continue in the federation, to secede therefrom, or to unite more closely with Ethiopia. Despite the efforts of Dr Jessup (United States) and Sir Benegal Rau (India), the sub-committee was unable to reconcile conflicting views into a compromise formula which might command a two-thirds majority in the Assembly, and it concluded that it lacked reliable facts. On its recommendations the First Committee and the General Assembly by 47 votes (N.Z.) to 5 with 6 abstentions decided to send a five-member Commission of Inquiry to investigate the facts, weigh them against the proposals advanced at the Assembly's fourth session, and present new proposals for consideration by the Interim Committee and then by the fifth regular session of the General Assembly. Voting in the General Assembly The resolution as a whole was adopted by 48 votes in favour, 1 against (Ethiopia), and 9 abstentions (the Soviet group, France, New Zealand, Sweden, and Yugoslavia). Section A, Libya, was adopted by 49 to

* See Publication No. 82 of the Department of External Affairs.