S/PV.989 Security Council

Before we begin our work, 1 should like to express the Counetl' s gratitude ta the representative of the United Arab Republic, Mr. Loutfi, who presided over our meetings last month. 1 am confident that 1 can speak for my other colleagues at this table in sayinghowmuchMr. Loutfi' s customary skill and good humour assisted ourwork. 1should also like to congratulate Mr. Loutfi and ta wish him very well on his appointment ta an important post in the Secretariat. He is of course no stranger to this work and 1 should like to compliment him, not for the first time, on the skill and speed with which he has transferred to me sorne ofthe more diffieuIt responsibilities as President of this Couneîl and has movedhimself ta the more serene atmosphere ofthethirty-eighthfloor. 2. May 1 aiso take this opportunity ta pay tribute to the representatives of ceylon, Ecuador, Liberia and Turkey who have left the Council. The competence and wise counsel of Mr. Malalasekera, Mr. Benites, Mr. Barnes and Mr. Menemencioglu have contributed greatly ta the debates of the Council in the course of the past year. We shall miss themall and we wish them aB weIl. 3. At the same time, it is my agreeable duty ta welcome ta this Couneil the four new members who have joined uS today for the first time. Our coUeagues from Ghana, Ireland, Romania and Venezuela are certainly

Mr. President, May 1 congratulate you onyouraecession ta the Presideney of this Council. 1am by no means a superstitious person, but when it is recalled thatGhana's admission to the United Nations was sponsored sorne five years aga by the representaUve of the United Kingdom, 1 wonder whether it is ominous or providential thatyou, Sir, shouldbe occupyingthe Chair at this happy moment when Ghana is being welcomed to this Council. As 1 cannot probe into the inserutl:'oble ways of fate, allow me simply to convey to you my felicitations and to wish you success in your task. 6. 1 should like also to joill you, Mr. President, in paying tribute to the workofthe four outgoing members of the Council, namely, Ceylon, Ecuador, Liberia and Turkey, whose representatives have set an example which 1 shaH strive ta emulate. 7. My Government is indeedhappy that Ghanahas been elected to this Couneil and it is a great honour for me to he its representative. My gratification is much enhanced by the circumstance that, in taking my seat in this Council, 1 am doing so simultaneously with the representatives of Ireland, Romania andvenezuela, to whom, as weIl as to the other members of this body, 1 pledge my full and wholehearted co-operation in the discharge of the heavy responsibilities entailedhyour membership. Ghana is very conscious of the weightof these responsibUities for they flow from the mandate specifically conferred on this body under the Charter, n~mely. the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. To that end the Charter enjoins us to act on behalf of a11 the Members of the Organization and requires us, in the discharge of this responsibility, to proceed in accordanee with the purposes and principles of the Charter. 8. Althaugh Ghana is younginterms of newlyregained independence and statehood, my country's history, traditions and heritage qualify it, if 1 may say sa, adequately ta discharge its share ofthese responsibilitîes. lt has repeatedly given praof of its respect for an unflagging devotion to the purposes and principles of the Charter. It has demonstrated its vigorous independence of action, and it has always worked to promote international co-operation and the peaceful settlément of disputes, actual and potential, on the basis of justice, dignity and respect for the fundamental rights of man and peoples. 9. In this Council Ghana will continue to he guided by the same objectivity, the same sense of fair play and the same avid desire for international peace and seeurity which have been the we11-spring of its action î, 10. Equally in keeping with this Independant foreign policy and its poUcy of positive neutrality and nonalignment, Ghana remains firm in its conviction that active and peaceful coexistence among States and countries within the Charter, irrespective of theIr political or social systems, constîtutes the only reasonable alternative to the use of force. In that spirit Ghana will continue to co-operate in anyefforts aimed at relaxing tensions, forestalling potential and settling actual international disputes by diplomatie and political means, and of promoting lasting peace in the world. r 11. It i8 therefore with these considerations inmind, and with a renewed sense of dedication to the cause of the united Nations, that 1 have the honour, on behalf of my country, ta take this seat in the Security Council. 1 will strive to serve Ghana, Africa and humanity ta the best of my ability. 1! l 12. Ml'. BOLAND (Ireland): 1 should like ta thankyou very much, Ml'. President, on hehalf of mycountry as well as on my own behalf, for the kind words in which you were good enough ta welcomeus tomember8hip of this Council. We feel greatly honoured to he afforded the opportunity of taking part with you and the other members of the Council in the work of this vitally important organ of the United Nations. ( 13. It will he our earnest and constant aim as a member of the Security Council to contribute ta the utmost of our possibilities to the success of the Council's efforts ta maintain international peace and secnrity and ta nphold the provisions of the Charter. Forus, this is not merely a question ofourdutyasa loyal Member of the United Nations; it is a matter of high national interest as weIL lreland is a small country and we are deeply convinced that, in the world today, there can be no security for sman countries snch as ours unless the peace of the worldcanbe made safe and the rule of law established between nations inaccordancewiththe principles of the United Nations Charter. In keeping with that conviction, every effort that may he made in this Council to ease existingtensions, to resolve international differences and thereby to strengthen the peace of the world is assured in advance of our unstinted support. r ] Jl 14. As a member of the Security Council, lrelandwill continue to uphold the ideals of freedom and fundamental human rights and.10 strive for the ending of al! forms of oppression or exploitation of one people by another. We shal! support the right of every nation to determine its own destiny freely, without outside interference or dictation. We shal! try to play our part in the task of harmonizing the actions of the Members of this Organization in the cause of peace and human betterment and we shaH use every opportunity which may be afforded us tofurther the attainmentof a world order based on justice and the ruie of law as the surest guarantee of world peace. We believe that, byacting 15. 1 join with you, Mr. President, in paying tribute to the work of the outgoing members of the Counoil. We regard it as a particular privilege that we are succeeding ta the seat on the Council whichwas oocupied during last year with so much distinction and success by the Republic of Liberia. 1should like ta take this opportunity of paying a personal tribute of admiration and respect ta the representative of Liberia, Mr. Barnes, for the Many valuable contributions he made ta the Couneil's work during his term of office.

First Mr. President, l should like ta congratulate you Most sineerely on your appointment as President of the security Couneilfor the present month; ta thank you for the kind words yon adciressed ta my country1s delegation and to the delegations of Ghana, Ireland and Venezuela, as we take our places in this important organ of the United Nations; and ta paya trihute ta the representatives of Ceylon, Liberia, Eeuador and Turkey, as they leave the Council. 17. My delegation is fully aware of aH the tasks ineumbent upon it in the Seeurity Couneil in order that the Couneil may achieve the purposes for which it was established, to ensure international peace and security. These noble purposes are fully consistent with the aspirations and policy of my Government, whieh is persiste:itly endeavouring ta strengthen peace and the security of peoples, for peaeeful coexistence between States having different social systems andfor the solution of controversial international problems by negotiation. The Government of tbe Romanian People's Republic hopes that the United Nations and its organs will decisively advance the peacefulpurposes setforth in its Charter. This unchangingview of myGovernment is reflected in the efforts it is making in international life and its support for aH constructive proposaIs to improve the international atmosphere and to bring about the necessary climate for the solution of the questions on which the present and future of aIl mankind depend. 18. Thus my delegationisreadytoco-operatewiththe other members of the security Council in contributing to the maintenance of internationalpeace and security, in the spirit of the charter of our Organization. 1 assure you, Mr. President, that my delegation will do its best tocontribute ta the fulfilmentofthe noble tasks of the CouDcil.

On hehalf of the delegation of Venezuela and of Mr. Sosa Rodrrguez, who has been prevented by a sad event from attending this meeting, 1 tharik you, Mr. President, for the kindwordsofwelcomeyou have addressed to my delegation on the occasion of my 21. Venezuela is fully aware ofthe high responsibility implied by memb8rship of this Council and will spare no effort ta discharge this responsibility in full. In this Venezuela will be guided by the rules which have governed its action throughout the life of the United Nations and will support and complywith the prînciples of the Charter, particularly with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security. 22. We are firmly convinced that the experience, competence and spirit of co-operation of the older members of this Council, and of the three who are joining it with us today, will lighten our task considerably.

The delegation of the United Arab Republic wishes, iu its turn, to express its appreciation of the valuable CO!ltributions made by a11 four delegations that have now ceded their places to the new rnembers ofthe Securit"<J Council. The Chairman of our delegation would have liked, 1 am sure, to express his sincere thanks ta a11 of them, and especially ta the able representatives of Ceylan and Liberia, with whom our delegation fruitfully collaborated on many occasions. Unfortunately, Mr. Loutfi wished to Leave this chair to me today. It seems that, in our eagerness ta contribute aIl we can to the good work of this Organization, we did not hesitate ta contribute Mr. Loutfi himself. We wish him and the United NationS Secretariat every success. Noone, however, cau regret more than 1 do that he is not in his usual chair today. 24. On Mr. Loutfils behalf, and on behalf ofmy delegation, 1 should like to thankthe President for the kind words of appreciation he has uttered in regard to the Chairman of our delegation. 1 lL.'D sure thatMr. Loutfi appreciates those remarks very much and would wish to thank the President andthe members ofthe Council. 25. The delegation of the UnitedArab Republic is also happy ta welcome such able personalities as Mr. Boland, representative ofIreland, Mr. Quaison-Sackey, representative of Ghana, Mr. Sosa-Rodrfguez, representative of Venezuela, and Mr"Haseganu, representative of Romania. AIl of them are men of stature who bave already rendered great and weIl-known services to their çountries and to this Organization. Itwould he almost presumptuous ta wish them success. Let me therefore wisb that their term of service on this Council will he a terra of great achievements in the vital and delicate work of this worthy Council. Adoption of the agenda

1 have no other speakersonmy list at this stage. We therefore turnnow to the business before us, namely, the adoption of the agenda. First, however, 1 recognize the representative of the United States on a point of order. 28. The Acting Secretary-General and the United Nations Command in the Congo, in the judgement of my delegation, are acting vigorously and skilfully to oarry out their mandates. The Government of the Repuhlic of the Congo, as weIl as the Secretary- General and his assm1iates, should, in our judgement, he left alone to continue their work. Yet, while efforts from Many quarters are beginning toproduce promising results, the Soviet Union, which has declinedta pay its share of the oosts or otherwise support the United Nations Operation in the Congo, has also insisted on a meeting which, sa far as 1 can ascertain, no one who has supported the United Nations activities for the benefit of the people and the Central Government of the Congo wants to have. Even the Prime Minister, Mr. Adoula, has made his position very clear [S/5066}. He does not consider it in the interests of the Congolese themselves to have a Counoil meeting atthis time, and he regrets that such action should have been taken by a friendly Government without prior consultation with the legal Government of the Congo and at a time when he plans a trip ta New York ta speak ta the General Assembly on the situation in the Congo. Mr. Adoula concludes that such a meeting of the Council can only create confUsion and damage to the Congolese people. His views have also been strongly endorsed by the Conference of Heads of African and Malagasy States and Governments now meeting at Lagos [S/5069}. 29. When the views of the Congolese Government became known, my delegation assumed that the Soviet representative would withdraw his request for this meeting. In the letter requesting this meeting [S/5064], the Soviet representative implied that hispurposewas ta support the Central Government, and, when the Central Government suggested that this meeting would actually De troublesome, we wouldhave thoughtthat the Soviet representative would have drawn the obvions conclusions. Evidently, he isnotdisposedtodoso. The party whose interests are most concerned about the Repuhlic of the Congo is of course the Republic of the Congo. Its views should be our guide as ta whether its problems should not he discussed by the Security Counci!, and it has made its position very clear. 30. Accordingly, if there are no further congratulatory speeches about the new members, as 1gather you have indicated, Mr. President, 1herehy formally move the adjournment of this meeting under rule 33. This motion, according ta the provisional rules of procedure, is not debatable, and 1 request that it he put immediately to the vote.

The representative oftheUnited States has, as 1 understand it, moved the simple adjournment of the meeting. This is covered by rule 33 of the provisional rules of procedure, and 1 am bonnd 33, The PRESIDENT: 1 must remind the representative of the Soviet Union that 1 have no option under the rules except to put the motion for the simple adjournment of the debate at once ta the vote and that 1 now proceed ta do. The motion before the Councn is that the meeting should be adjourned. Will those in favour of this moti0n please raise their hands.

Point of arder.

May 1 ask therepresentativeof the Soviet Union whether bis point of arder relates to the voting because if it does not, 1cannat listen ta him until the vote bas been taken?

1 have the rightta speak on a point of order relating ta the discussion of this it~m, and the President cannat gag me. If he is trying ta do that, he i8 violating theelementary rules ofprocedure. 1 have the right to ask for the floor on a point of order before the vote is taken. 37. The PRESIDENT~1 must again renrind the representative of the Soviet Union that under the rules 1 am bound to put this motion ta the vote without further debate. If, however, the point oforderwhichhe wishes ta raise is strictly limited ta the question of the vote, then 1 am entitled ta hear him but in no other circumstances.

1 should like ta a..k the President whether he does or does notwish ta give me the fIoor.

1 am asking you whether the point of order you wish ta raise is strictly limited ta the question of the vote.

Yeso

Onthatunderstanding, Igive you the floor.

The United States repre_ sentative's approach tothis question clearly shows who really wants the meeting to be adjourned and does not want the item to be discussed atall. The United States representative's references to the telegram fromMr. Adoula [S/5066] amI thè telegram from the Conference meeting at Lagos [S/5069] are, strictly speaking, inappropriate here, for if those telegrams are go-ing ta be referred ta, the substance o-fthe itemmight as weIl he discussed. If, on the other hand, this ls being done ta prevent discussionevenofthe agenda, then itis obvious that some advantage is being sought by not discUBsing the question. What is more, it seemS ta me that the statement made by the United States representative ciearly indicates thatthe reason the UnitedStates fears discussion of the it"'~... i8 not, most certainly, that it would not be in the :,' :ests of the Government of the Congo but that it 1,\-"....d not be in·the interes~s of the United States. In Russian there is a saying, "The cat knows whose meat it has stolen". 1 do not know how that would be translated into another language. 44. That ls the essence of the matter. and the rest ia aU just window-dressing intended simply to give public opinion a faise impression. Mr. Stevenson referred to what we said when we requested that this meeting should be held, and he mentioned our desire to support the Centrt:.l Government of the Congo. That ls true. That is in accordance with our intentions, and we stated very clearly that we were requesting a meetif'l':" of the Council precisely in order to support the effort..- of the Acting Secretary-General and the Central Government of the Congo••• 45. Tbe PRESIDENT: 1 regret to havetointerruptthe representative of the Soviet Union, but 1 warned him when 1 gave him the floor that 1could do so only on the condition that his remarks were going tobe addressed to the vote. 1 am notsuggestingthatthe representative of the Soviet Unionisatthemomentgoing into the substance of the matter, thougb he seems to me to be getting perilously close to tbat. 1 am bound, as 1 have already reminded the representative of the Soviet l1nion, under the provisional rules of procedure ta put, the motion that has been made to the vote without debate. 1 fear that the representative of the Soviet Union is now debating the matter, and 1 must ask him therefare either ta address his remarks strictlytothe vote or to allow me to put the matter to the vote, as 1 am bound to do under the rules.

1 thank the President for bis explanation, and 1 shaH keep strictly within the limits which he has indicated. 1 wish to point out that the United States representative, in making his proposaI, gave his reasons for doing sa, and 1 intended merely ta reply tothose reasons, without going into the substance of the item under dtscussionas such. As the representative of the United Kingdom, who is now President of the Council, did not interrupt the United States representative when he was setting forth bis reasons, 1 presume tbat he will by the same token give me the opportunity ta continue my statement in connexion with the vote. 47. 1 realize, of course, that tbe ties between the United states and the United Kingdom are closer-to our regret-than the ties between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, but 1 tl,ssume that as President be will not overstep the limits of his office and show himself to he hiased, 48. The United States representative's statementthat the cielegation of the Soviet Union failed to consult the Government of the Congo is not in accordance with the faets, for on 25 January, before we sent our letter to the President of the Security Council, we consulted the representative of the Government of the Congo here in New York and asked bim to inform bis Government immediately of our intention to caU for a meeting of the Council and ta let itknowthatthe Soviet delega.tion would propose that the Council sbould meet on Saturday, 27 January. By 28 Januarytherehadbeenno communication either from the representative of the Govern-

1 regret to havetointerruptthe representative of the Soviet Union again, but 1 cannat see that his remarks are at aIl within the ruling that ] made, namely, that they should be addressed to the vote. 1 am afraid thatIhave no option except to proceed according ta the rules. ] am President of this Council and 1 am bound by the rules, and the rules of procedure say that a simple motionto adjourn the meeting must be decided without debate. 1 gave thefloor to the representative of the Soviet Union on a clear understanding. It seems to me that that understanding is not being upheld, and 1 therefore have no option but ta put to the vote the simple motion for the adjournment of the meeting which was put by the representative of the United States. " 1, il'!ii l',1"li""li 'il, ii"il

Mr. President, may Iaska question concerning your ruling? ""Il ,] "liI, "li! li l' Jid: \':

Yes, you may.

Thank you. May 1 say that the President's ruling concerning my statement is not in accordance with the rules ofprocedurebywhich the discussion of such matters is usuallygoverned. We had reached the stage of discussing the agenda,yetsimply because of his rulingthe agenda is not being discussed. It seems ta me that this course which the President has adopted will not further our purpose if we really want ta help settle the problem of the Congo. 1 therefore consider that his ruling is dictatedbythe general policy of the United States and the United Kingdom of settling the problem of the Congo bythemselves, without the participation of the Security Council. 1: Il, ! i' [ i:

1 must now put to the vote the motion before the Council. 1: li i

1 wish to speak on a point of order.

1 cail on the representative of the Soviet Union on a point of order. 1 1

1 shouid like todrawatten-' tion to chapter II, rule 9, of the Security Council's provisional rules of procedure, which reads as follows: "The first item of the Prov:isional Agenda for each meeting of the Security Couucil shall be the adoption of the Agenda." Thus we should have proceeded to the adoption of the'agenda. 1 1 57. The United States representative, however, has submitted a proposaI on the basis ofrule 33. That rule relates to the stage of the Council's work when the agenda has already been adopted,forchapterVIcomes ,1 58. Furthermore, the telegrams from the Government of the Congo and from the Conference meeting at Lagos, which have already been referred to here are, in our opinion, the result of inaccurate and deliberat~ly distorted information. If the Government of the Congo and the Lagos Conference had beenaware ofthe reason \vhy this meeting \Vas being called, if they had been aware of our intentions, Iamconvincedthatthey would have no reason to object to the holding of this meeting. As it was, bath the Congo Government and the Conference meeting at Lagos had information coming, not from us, but from another source, and that was why they were able to question the desirability of having a discussion. 59. We considered and we still consider that the participation of Ml'. Adoula in a meeting of the Security Council would be extremelydesirable, and wa should certainly not object if, after our meetingtoday, we had a recess in ordertogiveMr. Ado.ula an opportunity to be present when this item is discussed and a decision is taken. 60. Those are the oomments which 1 wished to make. Coming back ta the rules of procedure, 1 should like the President to explain to me on the basis of which of the rules of procedure he is cutting short a discussion of the agenda.

1 will deal very brieflywiththe point raised by the representative of the Sovit:t Union. 62. Rule 9 of the provisional rules of procedure, which he has invoked, relates to the drawing up of the agenda. Rule 33, on the other hand, appears in that portion of the rules which govern the conduct of business, and is the governing rule for present purposes. My ruling is that the motion to adjourn, of the representative of the United States, which was made under rule 33,must be put to the vote without delay. Do 1 take it from the remarks of the representative of the Soviet Union that he wishes to challenge my ruling? 63. Ml'. ZORIN (Union of Soviet Socia11st Republics) (translated from Russian): ln connexion with the President's explanation 1 should liketodrawhisattention and that of the members of the Counci! to the exact text of rule 33, to which he referred. In rule 33 This means principal motions and draft resolutions submitted in the course of a meeting' which has already opened and adopted its agenda. 64. The President wishes to apply this rule 33 to our preliminary exchange of views on the agenda at a stage when the agenda has not yet been adopted and when, of course, there are not and cannat be any principal motions or draft resolutions inasmuch as the substance of the item has not been discussed. Is it not cleur that the President is violating the rules of procedure and seeking to apply ru1e 33 to the situation which we have here at this meeting although the meeting has not yet forrnally begun and there iB still no agenda? He is seeking ta app1y a rule that relates ta a meeting which has already approved its agenda and at which principal motions and draft resolutions can be submitted. 65. 1 think that that is cleur. Therefore, for the sake of objectivity, 1 would ask the President to withdraw his ruling, for that ruling shows either that he does not have a sufficiently exact knowledge of the provisional rules of procedure-something which is perfecUy possible and is nothingtobe ashamed of-or that he is deliberately trying ta gag aU those who wish to discuss the vitally important question of carrying out the Security Council's resolutions in the interests of the people of the Congo. 66. Neither of these positions, it seems to me, is worthy of tlle President, and Iwould therefore ask him, in the interests of our work, notto insist on his ruling but to let us discuss the agenda inaccordance with the provisions of rule 9 of the rules of procedure.

1 understand, from what the representative of the Soviet Union has just said, that he is not challenging my ruling. 1 have noted his request ta me to withdraw it. 1 regret, however, that und'::!r the provisional rules of procedure 1 have nû choice but ta put the motion of the representative of the United States for the simple adjournrnent of the meeting ta the vote.

1 very much regretthatthe President did not heed my appeal and withdraw his ruling, which, as 1 demonstrated in a statement ta which he was unable ta give a reply, is deady at variance with the rules of procedure. 69. As he insists on his ruling, 1 challenge it, and in accordance with rule 30 of the provisional rules of procedure he must give us the floor, since the challenged ruling must be submitted tothe Security Counci!. Every member of the Council should have full opportunity ta discuss this matter on the basis I)f rule 30. 70. With that understanding 1 shaH express my views concerning the President's ruling •••

1 hesitate ta interrupt the representative of the Soviet Union once again, but it is

1 regret to say that for the second time the President is violating the provisional rules of procedure. The Russian version of rule 30, reads as follows: "li a representative raises a point of ol'ùer, the. President shall immediately state his ruling. li it is cballenged, the President shall submit his ruling for consideration by the Security Connail for immediate deeision •.•" 73. If the submission of the ruling is to be "eonsidered" by the Security Conneil, how can this be done without the ruling being discussed by the Couneil? Tbat is incomprehensible. It is therefore my understanding that rule 30 affords full opportunity for a discussion of this question, after whichthe Presidentwill be entitled to caU for a vote on his ruling and on the challenge to that ruling. 74. The PRESIDENT, The representative of the Soviet Union has read out the Russian text of rule 30. The English text of rule 30, which governs our present discussion, as weIl as the French text, make it quite clear that the President is bound, once his ruling has been challenged, ta submit the matter for the immediate decision of the Security Council.Accordingly, 1 now put to the vote the motion made by the representative of the Soviet Union who has contested my ruling, and 1 shaH first ask those who are in favour of the motion ta raise their hands. A vote was taken by shDw Dfhands. In favDur: Romania, Union of SovietSocialistRepublies. Against: Chile, China, France, Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Venezuela. Absta{ning: Ghana, United Arab Republie. The mDtion was rejected by '1 votes tD ~. with ~ abstentiDns. 75. The PRESIDENT, My ruling therefore stands. My ruling is that the motion which has been put to the Council by the representative of the United States that this Council should be adjourned must now be put to the vote.