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GENERAL MEETING ASSEMBLY Tuesday, 6 February 1962, at 11.10 A.M

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GENERAL MEETING ASSEMBLY Tuesday, 6 February 1962, at 11.10 A.M United Nations FOURTH COMMITTEE, 1281st GENERAL MEETING ASSEMBLY Tuesday, 6 February 1962, at 11.10 a.m. SIXTEENTH SESSION Official Records • NEW YORK CONTENTS resolution 1579 (XV) the General Assembly had Page stipulated that the elections should take place in "an atmosphere of peace and harmony" and "in Agenda item 49: proper conditions so that their results are completely Question of the future of Ruanda-Urundi: free of doubt or dispute 11 • While that had been more report of the United Nations Commission or less the case in Burundi, the atmosphere pre­ for Ruanda-Urundi (continued) vailing in Rwanda before the elections had been such General debate (continued . • . 767 as to arouse serious reservations as to their result~. Requests for hearings continued). 773 The Administering Authority, so far from creating conditions of "normal, democratic political activity", Chairman: Miss Angie BROOKS (Liberia). had actively supported the Parti du mouvement de !'emancipation hutu (PARMEHUTU) and helped to AGENDA ITEM 49 muzzle the opposition. The Commissioners had ac­ knowledged in their report (A/4994 and Corr.l, para. Question of the future of Ruanda.Urundi: report of the United 460) that "the physical organization of the popular Nations Commission for Ruanda-Urundi (AI 4856, AI 4865 consultations and the voting operations proper were, and Corr.1, A/4970, A/4994 and Add.1 and Corr.1, A/ on the whole, calculated to enable the mass of voters 5086; A/C.4/516 and Add.1, 517 and Corr.1, 518, 519, representing 95 per cent of the electorate to vote according to their rights 11 • It remained to be seen 521, 522 and Add.1-4, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 528, 529 if the electors' choice had been free. However, his and Corr .1, 530) (continued) delegation was prepared to regard the elections as an unfortunate and regrettable episode and to accept GENERAL DEBATE (continued) their results as valid once it was convinced that the 1. Mr. DOE (Liberia), speaking on a point of order, Rwandese parties were ready to settle their differ­ recalled that in his statement at the 128oth meeting ences and work harmoniously for the good of the the Tanganyikan representative had mentioned certain Territory as a whole. It hoped that the conciliation new facts which had come to light about Ruanda-Urundi group would soon report to the Committee some which had led him to propose the appointment and measure of success in that direction. immediate dispatch to the Territory of a fact-finding committee. The seriousness of the facts mentioned 4. With regard to the unity of the Territory, he had aroused the apprehension of some delegations, stressed that Ruanda-Urundi had been placed under including those of Czechoslovakia and the United Arab Belgian administration as one complete entity. More­ Republic. For its part, his delegation hoped the over, on resolution 1579 (XV) the General Assembly Tanganyikan representative would be in a position to had acknowledged that "the best future for Ruanda­ provide further details in the near future. Urundi lies in the evolution of a single, united and composite State". It was therefore difficult to accept 2. Mr. COLLIER (Sierra Leone) congratulated the the request of the representatives of the two countries United Nations Commissioners on the way in which for separate existence, with nothing but a loose and they had carried out their mission. He regretted that ill-defined economic union. The fact was that the their statements and those of the Belgian Ministerfor Administering Authority was responsible for the Foreign Affairs, the representatives of the .Territory present state of affairs and it would be logical, in view and the petitioners had been far from encouraging. of the faci that the two parts of the Territory were What his delegation wanted above all was the real not economically viable, for the Authority to exhaust independence of Ruanda-Urundi, and it looked to the all possible means to bring about unity. Consequently, Belgian delegation to help restore order in the it was inexplicable that the Belgian Government should country. The statements of the petitioners and the have signed separate Protocols with the Governments Government representatives had shown the disunity of Rwanda and Burundi (A/C.4/517 and Corr.l/ which plagued Ruanda-Urundi, but only a frank state­ without giving the United Nations a chance to make ment of the differences could lead to the realization, a pronouncement on that question, and it might be as Sierra Leone had itself found, that the forces of wondered what had been the real motives which had cohesion and unity were indeed superior to the others. prompted it to behave thus. While conceding that it He therefore hoped the populations of Rwanda and would be difficult to impose the Assembly's will for Burundi would realize the bonds which united them unity on a Territory which did not desire it, his and that their leaders would sink their differences delegation believed that the Administering Authority and agree to work out a form of federation as little should have given the United Nations an opportunity centralb:ed as possible. The present trend in Africa to try to achieve that unity. The Assembly could yet was towards unity, and the ills which balkanization make one last effort to try and set up a political had brought to the continent were well known. federation. His delegation was in favour of sending a 3. One crucial issue before the Committee was that goodwill mission to the Territory as soon as possible of the validity of the election results in Rwanda. In so that the accession to independence should not be 767 A/C.4/SR.1281 768 General Assembly - Sixteenth Session - Fourth Committee too long delayed; such a mission could, with the co­ which were still felt, the Administering Authority had operation of the Administering Authority, try to es­ wanted to confront the United Nations with a fait tablish so:ne form of central control embracing accompli and make it sanction the measures it had Rwanda and Burundi which would be responsible for taken. However, the United Nations had refused to do foreign policy, defence and economic planning. so and, during the resumed fifteenth session of the General Assembly, it had again requested the Ad­ 5. The question of fixing a date for independence ministering Authority properly to fulfil its obligations was closely linked to that of the appointment of such under the Trusteeship Agreement. The General a mission: if it were decided to appoint the mission, Assembly now had to decide how far its decisions it would be logical to wait for a supra-regional had really been carried out and whether the Ad­ political union to emerge before fixing a date for the ministering Authority had really co-operated as it termination of the trusteeship. The United Nations should in the implementation of all the provisions understood the desire of the representatives of of General Assembly resolution 1605 (XV). Rwanda and Burundi to see their countries accede to independence as soon as possible, but it could not 9. The report of the United Nations Commission for abandon its responsibility to the people of the Ter­ Ruanda-Urundi (A/4994 and Add.1 and Corr.1), the ritory as a whole. If, as some observers feared, a statements made in the Committee by the petitioners small delay in the date for final independence were and the divergent views of two of the Commissioners, to plunge the people into further disorder and blood­ Mr Rahnema and, in particular, Mr. Gas sou, raised shed, they would only be demonstrating to the world serious doubts about the validity of the measures their ·unreadiness for independence. In the interval, taken by the Administering Authority to carry out the the newly elected Governments should be allowed to recommendations of the General Assembly. exercise to the full all the functions of internal self­ 10. Since the situation in Burundi appeared to be government and an effort should be made to give stable for the time being and the results of the the Territory its independence before the end of 1962. elections did not raise any controversy, he would The conciliation mission should be instructed to consider only the situation in Rwanda which was recommend a date for the accession to independence particularly disquieting. The measures essential and to report to the General Assembly as early as for the creation of a favourable pre-electoral atmos­ possible, and in any case before the seventeenth phere had only been partly taken. The amnesty session. recommended had been granted, but it had been 6. Turning to the question of economic and technical insufficiently implemented. The establishment of a assistance to the Territory, he said he appreciated broad-based caretaker government had been one Belgium's declared intention to continue its aid if it of the principal pre-conditions for the elections; it was true that such assistance would be given without had not been achieved either, because the Adminis­ strategic strings attached. However, if the proposed tering Authority had not really intended to carry out conciliation mission were to be sent to the Territory that recommendation. It was the Administering Au­ it should be asked to examine the economic and thority which had been running the affairs of the technical needs of the country and advise on possible Territory and it had therefore been the duty of the United Nations assistance, in addition to that of Administering Authority, which was responsible for Belgium. In particular, the mission should estimate the regrettable situation in the Territory, to prepare the number of technicians and specialists needed to the country for the general elections.
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