S/PV.101 Security Council

If there are no objections to the adjournment, we shall meet again at 2.30 p.m. T he meeting rose at 1.10 p.m. HUNDRED AND FIRST MEETING Held at Lake Success, New York, on Monday, 10 February 1947, at 2.30 p.m. President: Mr. M. F. VAN LANGENHOVE, (Belgium). Presents: Les representants des pays suivants : Australie, Belgique, Bresil, Chine, Colombie, France, Pologne, Syrie, Union des Republiques socialistes sovietiques, Royaume-Uni, Etats- Unis d'Amerique. 42. Suite de la discussion sur le cablogramme envoye par le Secretaire de la Commission d'enquete SUI" les incidents a la frontiere grecque Le PRESIDENT: Nous reprenons la discussion sur le ca.blogramme. en date du 6 fevrier 1947, envoye au Secretaire general par le secretaire de la Commission d'enquete sur les incidents a la frontiere grecque. Vous avez sous les yeux l'amendement de la Pologne et l'amendement de I'URSS au projet de resolution presente par le representant des Etats-Unis. M. GROMYKO (Union des Republiques socialistes sovietiques) (traduit du russe) : Je propose de supprimer le dernier membre de phrase de la resolution des Etats-Unis1 commen<;ant par les mots: "a mains que la Commission n'ait des raisons de croire ..." et d'y substituer le texte figurant dans le projet de resolution qui vient d'etre distribue par le Secretariat. Je prierai les membres du Conseil de bien vouloir exprimer leur avis sur man projet d'amendement, s'ils en ont le desir, afin qu'il puisse etre mis aux voix ensuite. Le PRESIDENT: Le texte fran<;ais de l'amendement du representant de l'Union des Republiques socialistes sovietiques n'ayant pas encore ete distribue, je demande a un interprete de nous en donner une traduction fran<;aise. Present: The representatives of the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Poland, Syria, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom, United States of America. 42. Continuation of the discussion of the cabl'egram from the Secretary of the Commission of Investigation concerning Greek Frontier Incidents The PRESIDENT: We resume the debate on the cablegram from the Secretary of the Commission of Investigation concerning Greek Frontier Incidents to the Secretary-General dated 6 February 1947. You have before you the Polish amendment and the Soviet amendment to the draft resolution submitted by the representative of the United States. Mr. GROMYKO (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) (translated from Russian): I propose that we delete the last sentence of the text of the United States resolution,t beginning with the. words, "unless the Commission has reason to believe . . ,'. and that we substitute for it in the resolution the text which appears in the draft just distributed by the Secretariat. I would ask the members of the Security Council to express their views on this amendment if they wish to do so, and then we may put it to the vote in due course. The PRESIDENT: Since the French text of the amendment submitted by the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has not yet been distributed, I call upon an interpreter to give us a French translation. The USSR amendment, which had already been distributed in English, was then read out in French by an interpreter: 1 See page 176. CENT-UNIEME SEANCE Tenue aLake Success, New-York, le lundi 10 fevrier 1947, a14 h. 30. President: M. M. F. VAN LANGENHOVE (Belgique) . , Voir page 176. Mr. ]OHNSON (United States of America): . This amendment purports to suppress the last paragraph of the United States resolution and to substitute for it a new paragraph with an entirely different sense. I cannot let the occasion pass without expressing my disagreement. The amendmene proposed by the delegation of Poland gives positive approval to the action already taken by the Commission, and merely exhorts it to proceed with caution in the future. It does not answer the query directly as to whether such action lies within its terms of refer- ence. Furthermore, I do not think that this Council has sufficient evidence before it to e~press an opinion as to the technical propriety of the Commission's actions with respect to these particular individuals whose death sentences were postponed by the action of the Greek Government following this informal request. We are not here to judge the merits of those individual cases. In my opinion we have no evidence on which to pronounce a judgment, although the representative of the USSR has qualified them as heroes. They may well be, but I have not seen any evidence to that effect, and I think we want to avoid passing such judgments. I could not accept this amendment. Mr. DE SOU ZA GOMES (Brazil) (translated from French): I think it is somewhat contradic- tory to keep the first sentence of the United States resolution and use as the second sentence the text just proposed by the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In the United States resolution it is said that, in the sense of the Security Council, the Commission, acting under the resolution adopted, is not empowered to request the appro- priate Greek authorities to stay the execution of persons condemned to death. But at the same time we are. told: "The Security Council ap- proves the action of the Commission." Thus in the first sentence, there is almost a note of den- sure, while the second indicates approval of the Commission's action. r do not see how the two texts can be reconciled. Speaking for my delegation, I may say that we are not in a position to judge, for we have no report at our disposal. Perhaps the repre- sentallve of the Union of Soviet Socialist Re- publics has s~en one; but I, for my part, have no report which would enable me to form a fair M. JOHNSON (Etats-Unis d'Amerique) (tra- duit de l'anglais): L'amendement propose tend a supprimer le dernier paragraphe de la resolu- tion presentee par les Etats-Unis et a le rem- placer par un nouveau paragraphe d'un sens tout a fait different. ] e me crois oblige, a cette occasion, d'exprimer mon desaccord forme1. L'amendemene present€ par la delegation de la Pologne approuve categoriquement la demarche deja faite par la Commission d'enqu~te et se borne a lui conseiller la prudence dans l'avenir. Il ne repond pas directement a la question de savoir si son mandat l'autorisait a faire cette demarche. En outre, je ne crois pas que le Conseil de securite soit suffisamment renseigne en la matiere pour exprimer une opinion sur la question de savoir si, techniquement parIant, la Commission a bien fait d'agir ainsi en ce qui coneerne les personnes condamnees amort aux- quelles le Gouvemement hellenique a accorde un sursis a la suite de cette demande officieuse. Nous n'avons pas a nous prononcer sur le bien- fonde de ces cas particuliers. A mon avisl le Conseil ne dispose d'aucun renseignement qui lui permette d'exprimer un jugement, bien que le representant de l'URSS ait appele ces condam- nes des heros. !lest possible qu'ils le soient, mais, pour ma part, je n'en ai pas la preuve et j'estime que nous devons eviter d'exprimer de pareils jugements. 11 me serait done impossible d'accepter cet amendement. M. DE SOUZA GOMES (Bresil): festime qu'it y a une certaine contradiction a garder la pre- miere phrase de la resolution des Etats-Unis et de retenir, pour la deuxieme phrase, le texte que vient de nous proposer le representant de l'Union des Republiques socialistes sovietiques. Dans la resolution des Etats-Unis, il est dit que le Conseil de securite est d'avis que la Com- mission, agissant conformement a la resolution adoptee, n'est pas habilitee a demander aux au- torites competentes de la Grece de surseoir a l'execution de toute personne condamnee a. mort. Ensuite on nousdit: "Le Conseil de securit€ approuve la mesure prise par la Commission d'enquete." Ainsi, dans la premiere phrase, il y a presque un bl~me et, dans la deuxieme phrase, on approuve la conduite de la Com- mission. Je ne sais pas comment on peut conei- lier les deux textes. D'autre part-je parle pour ma deIegation- nous ne sommes pas a meme de juger, car nous ne sommes en possession d'aucun rapport. Peut- ~tre le representant de l'Union des Republiques socialistes sovietiques en possede-t-il un, mais, pour ma part, je n'ai aucun rapport qui me per- Therefore, there is no contradiction in sub- stance between the first part of theUnited States resolution and the amendment which I have proposed, because my amendment states that, in this specific case, present circumstances being what they are in Greece, the Commission acted tightly in making its request to the Greek Gov- ernment with regard to a group of political prisoners under sentence of death. Therefore I consider that my amendment would greatly im- prove the resolution, and, should it be adopted, the resolution would receive my support. I had hoped that the President would read my amendment, but this has not been done. Mr. Gromyko then read out the text of the USSR amendment.1 Mr. DE LA TOURNELLE (France) (translated from French): If I understand it correctly, the United States resolution contains a double warn- ing: to the Commission of Investigation on the one hand, and to the Greek Government on the other. This resolution reminds the Commission of Investigation that it has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of Greece. It reminds the Greek Government that the Commission of In- vestigation has been empowered to interrogate all persons whose testimonies are necessary for the accomplishment of its mission. It is quite obvious that the testimony of political prisoners may be of extrerp.e importance for the Commis- . sion of Investigation by revealing to it informa- tion on the motives of individuals who have been arrested, on the men who lead them and on their place of origin. It is therefore desirable to point out to the Greek Government that the Commis- sion {)f Investigation has the authority to inter- rogate these persons, and that it ought also to provide the Commission with every facility for doing so.

We can now proceed to vote. I first of all put to the vote the amendment proposed by the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist C'est pourquoi il n'y a pas de contradiction de fond entre la premiere partie de la resolution des Etats-Unis et I'amendement que j'ai propose. Mon amendement dit simplement que, dans le cas concret qui s'est presente, etant donne la situation existant en Grece, la Commission a eu raison d'adresser une requete au Gouvemement grec en faveur d'un groupe de detenus politiques condamnes a mort. J'estime done que mon amendement ameliorerait beaucoup le texte de la resolution primitive; s'il est adopte, je voterai pour la resolution. Mon amendement n'a pas encore ete Iu et .ie comptais que le President en donnerait lecture. M. Gromyko donne alors lecture du texte de l'amendement del'URSS. 1 M. DE LA TOURNELLE (France): Si je comprends bien, la resolution des Etats-Unis comporte un double avertissement, l'un aI'adresse de la Commission d'enquete, l'autre al'adresse du Gouvernement heIlenique. A la Commission d'enquete, la resolution rappelle qu'elle n'a aucune qualite pour s'immiscer dans les affaires intetieures de la Grece. Au Gouvernement he1Ienique, cette resolution rappelle que la Commission d'enquete a re<;;u des pouvoirs forme1s lui permettant d'interroger toutes les personnes dont les temoignages sont necessaires pour l'execution de sa mission. Il est bien evident que le temoignage de d6tenus politiques peut etre extremement important pour la Commission d'enquete et peut lui donner des informations sur les mobiles des individus arretes, sur les gens qui les commandent, sur les lieux d'ou. ils viennent. 11 est par consequent desirable \de faire remarquer au Gouvernement hellenique que la Commission d'enquete a le pouvoir d'interroger ces personnes, et qu'il doit atissi lui donner tontes facilites pour le faire. Le PRESIDENT: Nous pouvons a present passeI' au vote. Je mets tout d'abord aux· voix I'amendement du representant de 1'Union des RepubIiques socialistes sovietiques, qui est celui Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Votes against: Australia Belgium Brazil China Colombia France Syria United Kingdom United States of America Abstention: Poland Le PRESIDENT: Nous passons au vote sur 1'amendement presente par le representant de la Pologne. On procede au vote il main levee. L'amende- ment de la Pologne est rejete par sept voix contre deux, avec deux abstentions.

We shall now vote on the amendment proposed by the representative of Poland. A vote was then taken by show of hands, and the Polish amendment was rejected by seven votes to two, with two abstentions. Votes tor: France Poland Votes against: Australia Belgium Brazil Colombia Syria United Kingdom United States of America Abstentions: China Un,ion of Soviet Socialist Republics Mr. GROMYKO (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) (transldted from Russian): I wish to explain that I abstained from voting on the Polish amendment because, although it makes a slight improvement in the text of the resolution, it does not improve it sufficiently to enable me to consider it acceptable.

I take note of the statement made by the representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. I· put to the vote the whole of the proposal submitted by the United States delegation. V otent pour: Union -des Republiques socialistes sovieti- ques Votent contre: Australie Be1gique Bresil Chine Colombie France Syrie Royaume-Uni Etats-Unis d'Amerique S'abstient: Pologne Votent pour: France Pologne Votent eontre: Australie Belgique Bresil Colombie Syrie Royaume-Uni Etats-Unis d'Amerique S'abstiennent: Chine Union des Republiques socialistes sovieti- ques M. GROMYKO (Union des Republiques socia- listes sovietiques) (traduit du russe): Je desire preciser la raison de mon abstention dans le vote sur l'amendement polonais. Bien que celui-ci ameliore dans une certaine mesure le texte de la resolution, il ne l'am€liore pas suffisamment pour que je puisse lui accorder mon vote. Le PRESIDENT: Je prends acte de la declara- tion du representant de l'Union des Republiques socialistes sovietiques. Je mets aux voix l'ensemble de la proposition presentee par la delegation des Etats-Unis. Votes against: Nil Abstentions: Poland Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

I propose that the Commission be informed by cable of the result of the vote, and that the verbatim record of the present meeting be communicated to it for its information. Neant S'abstiennent: Pologne Union des Republiqucs socialistes sovieti- ques Le PRESIDENT: Je propose que le resultat du vote soit parte teIegraphiquement a la connais- sance de la Commission et que le proces-verbal de la presente seance soit transmis .a celle-ci pour information. La seance est levee a15 h. 10.