- Title: USA: UNITED NATIONS: SECURITY COUNCIL VOTES ON SOUTH AFRICA
- Date: 19th June 1964
- Summary: 1. SV UNITED NATIONS TAPESTRY. 0.05 2. SV COUNCIL IN SESSION. MEMBER SPEAKING. 0.35 3. SV VOTE IS TAKEN. HANDS ARE RAISED. 0.51 4. SV THOSE AGAINST VOTE TAKEN, THEN ABSTENTIONS. 1.07 5. SV RESULT IS GIVEN "8 FOR, NONE AGAINST, AND 3 ABSTENTIONS". 1.19 6. CU DELEGATE. 1.25 7. TV DELEGATES. CU SEYDOUX SPEAKS. 2.03 Initials DR/V/WH/VP EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: SOUND ON FILM IS FOR BACKGROUND USE ONLY Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 4th July 1964 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, U.S.A.
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAHYPX1L723XSTOZ3W1PQ1OC3C
- Story Text: THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL AGREED YESTERDAY (THURSDAY) TO SET UP AN EXPERT STUDY OF THE POSSIBILITIES AND IMPLICATIONS OF ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA IN AN EFFORT TO CURB APARTHEID.
BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES WERE AMONG THE EIGHT MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL WHO VOTED FOR THE NORWEGIAN-BOLIVIAN RESOLUTION. RUSSIA AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA, WHICH WANTED SANCTIONS IMMEDIATELY, ABSTAINED, AND SO DID FRANCE, WHICH SAID THE UNITED NATIONS SHOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH A STATE'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS.
THOUGH AFRICAN MEMBERS HAD SOUGHT ALL-OUT ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA, THEY DECIDED TO SUPPORT THE COMPROMISE MEASURE, TAKING ACCOUNT OF THE OPPOSITION OF THE WESTERN POWERS TO SANCTIONS IN THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES IN SOUTH AFRICA .
THE RESOLUTION WOULD GIVE THE GOVERNMENT OF SOUTH AFRICA UNTIL THE END OF NOVEMBER TO CONCUR WITH A PROPOSAL THAT IT CONVENE A CONFERENCE OF ALL RACES IN THE REPUBLIC TO SEEK ALTERNATIVES TO THE POLICY OF SEPARATE RACIAL DEVELOPMENT. THE PROPOSED EXPERT COMMITTEE, DRAWN FROM ALL OF THE COUNCIL'S MEMBER NATIONS, WOULD HAVE UNTIL THE END OF NEXT FEBRUARY TO REPORT BACK ON ITS FINDINGS.
ALTHOUGH THE RESOLUTION MADE NO SPECIFIC MENTION OF THE POSSIBILITY OF INVOKING SANCTIONS, IT STATED THE COMMITTEE WOULD STUDY AND REPORT TO THE COUNCIL "AS TO THE FEASIBILITY, EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPLICATIONS OF MEASURES WHICH COULD, AS APPROPRIATE, BE TAKEN BY THE SECURITY COUNCIL UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER."
THE RUSSIAN DELEGATE, DR NIKOLAI FEDORENKO CRITICISED THE RESOLUTION AS BEING "EXTREMELY WEAK." FOR THIS REASON, HE SAID, HE COULD NOT VOTE FOR IT.
M. ROGER SEYDOUX OF FRANCE SAID HIS GOVERNMENT DID NOT CONSIDER THAT THE UNITED NATIONS COULD INTERVENE DIRECTLY IN THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF A MEMBER STATE. "MY GOVERNMENT OF ITS PART WISHES TO SEE CHANGES OCCUR IN SOUTH AFRICA," HE SAID. BUT THE INTERVENTION SUGGESTED "COULD ONLY HARDEN POSITIONS AND CRYSTALLISE THE PRESENT STATE OF AFFAIRS."
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