United Nations FOURTH COMMITTEE, 1263rd GENERAL MEETING ASSEMBLY Friday, 19 January 1962 at 11.15 a.m. SIXTEENTH SESSION Official Records NEW YORK CONTENTS regard Mr. Rugira as a representative of his Govern­ Page ment unless the General Assembly endorsed the re­ sults of the elections. Agenda item 49: Question of the future of Ruanda-Urundi: re­ 3, According to the information in the report of port of the United Nations Commission for the United Nations Commission for Ruanda-Urundi Ruanda-Urundi (continued) (A/4994 and Add.1 and Corr.1) and that given by the Hearings of Mr. Pierre Ngendandumwe, Administering Authority,!! the situation in Burundi Deputy Prime Minister of Burundi and was quiet but it was not so in Rwanda. He asked Mr. Mr. Amandin Rugira, President of the Ngendandumwe whether conditions in Rwanda had any Legislative Assembly of Rwanda (con- effect on the attitude of the Burundi Government con­ tinued) . • • • • • • • • • • • . • . • • . • . • • • . 657 cerning the unity of Ruanda-Urundi. 4. Mr. NGENDANDUMWE (Deputy Prime Minister Chairman: Miss Angie BROOKS (Liberia). of Burundi) replied that he was not familiar with the situation in Rwanda. The situation in Burundi was on the whole calm, since the party in power had gained In the absence of the Chairman, Mr. Houaiss a large majority. Naturally, as in the case of any (Brazil), Rapporteur, took the Chair. election in which there were winners and losers, there was a certain amount of bitterness and dis­ AGENDA ITEM 49 content which had led to a few very localized in­ cidents. No doubt the Committee recalled the assas­ Question of the future of Ruanda-Urundl: report of the United sination of Prince Louis Rwagasore, the Prime Nations Commission for Ruanda-Urundi (A/4856, A/4865 Minister. He did not wish to bring that matter into and Corr.1, A/4970, A/4994 and Add.1 and Corr.1; AI . the discussion of the future status of the Territory C.4/516, 517 and Corr.1, 518, 519, 521, 522 and Add.1) but would prefer to speak about it later. (continued) Miss Brooks (Liberia), took the Chair. HEARINGS OF MR. PIERRE NGENDANDUMWE, 5. Mr. ABDEL WAHAB (United Arab Republic) said DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF BURUNDI AND that he did not expect Mr. Ngendandumwe to deal with MR. AMANDIN RUGIRA, PRESIDENT OF THE the problems of Rwanda: he merely wished to know LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF RWANDA(continued) whether those problems had had a.n effect on the atti­ tude of the Burundi Government concerning possible At the invitation of the Chairman, Mr. Pierre unity. Ngendandumwe, Deputy Prime Minister of Burundi and Mr. Amandin Rugira, President of the Legislative 6, Mr. NGENDANDUMWE (Deputy Prime Minister Assembly of Rwanda, took places at the Committee of Burundi) replied that the situation in Rwanda had table. certainly had some repercussions on the situation in the neighbouring country; the refugee problem was 1. Mr. RUGIRA (President of the Legislative Assem­ evidence of that. The Burundi Government, bearing bly of Rwanda) said that he wished to clear up any in mind the history and the aspirations of its people, misunderstanding which might have arisen at the was determined that Burundi should achieve independ­ previous meeting owing to lack of clarity regarding ence as a separate State. Once it was independent, it the procedure. After having made a statement at the would be prepared to discuss the possibility of union 1261st meeting, giving his Government's views, and with its neighbours. Rwanda and Burundi already having clarified that statement in response to ques­ formed an economic unity, and the Protocol of 21 De­ tions put to him by representatives, he had not at­ cember 1961 (A/C.4/517 and Corr.1) would tend to tended the following meeting. Later, when he had strengthen that economic unity. A Commission com­ listened to the debate from the public gallery, he had posed of representatives of the Administering Au­ not been in a position to ask for the floor in order to thority and of the Governments of Rwanda and Burundi reply to a question. He wished to make it clear that, was already at work to improve the economic union while he was willing to make an official statement on within the framework of two independent States. his Government's position and future policy as a member of that Government, he was not prepared to 7. U TIN MAUNG (Burma) thanked Mr. Rugira for be cross-examined as a petitioner. He was not com­ his explanation, which had fully satisfied his dele­ petent to discuss matters arising from General As­ gation. The question at issue was one of major im• sembly resolutions or to reply to questions relating to the period prior to his Government's coming to !! RapPort soumis par le Gouvernement beige A l'As~emblk g'nf­ power. rale des Nations Unies au sulet de l'adminlstration du Ruanda..Urutldl pendant l'arm!!e 1960 (Brussels, lmprimerie Fr. Van Muysewlnkel, 2. Mr. ABDEL WAHAB (United Arab Republic) ob­ 1961) p. 26. Transmitted to members of the Trusteeship CouncU by a served that his delegation would find it difficult to note of the Secretary-General (T/1583), 657 A/C.4/SR.1263 658 General Assembly - Sixteenth Session - Fourth Committee portance and the Committee was most anxious to work of the evolution of Africa and of the world, and, ascertain the views of the countries concerned. as in other countries, the best formula would con­ 8. The General Assembly had adopted a number of tinue to be sought. He could not speak for the future resolutions laying stress on the importance of the or assert that other political ties might not be sought unity of the Trust Territory. In paragraph 15 of later, but his Government realized that political union resolution 1605 (XV) the General Assembly had re­ was not at present feasible and would not be feasible in the immediate future. iterated its oonviction that the best future for Ruanda­ Urundi lay in its accession to independence as a 13. U TIN MAUNG (Burma) drew attention to arti­ single, united and composite State. The United Nations cle 2 (g) of the Protocol concluded between the Bel­ had of course no moral or legal right to impose a gian Government and the Government of Bur.undi solution on a people against its wishes, but it was its (A/C.4/517 and Corr.1), which enumerated the powers duty to endeavour to persuade the people that their reserved to the Administering Authority until such best future lay in a single, united and composite time as Burundi achieved independence. He wished State. He referred to the reports of various Visiting for some elucidation of the statement that the Govern­ Missions to the Trust Territory which confirmed the ment of Burundi might ask for the intervention of the United Nations view that the future of the Territory metropolitan forces, which were under Belgian com­ was envisaged as a single State. Moreover, the Work­ mand. The situation in Burundi was calm and he ing Group sent to the Territory in 1959 by the Bel­ wondered whether the Government of Burundi antici­ gian Government had advocated a solution in terms pated that it might be obliged to ask for the inter­ of the future "community" of the Trust Territory,Y vention of the metropolitan forces for the maintenance 9. The United Nations Visiting Mission to Trust of law and order. Territories in East Africa, 1960 had stated in its 14, Mr. NGENDANDUMWE (Deputy Prime Minister report on Ruanda-UrundiY that UniM et progr~s of Burundi) pointed out that until Burundi achieved national (UPRONA), the party at present in power in full independence the Trusteeship Agreement re­ Burundi, proposed that consideration should be given mained in force and the Administering Authority was to a free confederation for Burundi and Rwanda with therefore responsible for the maintenance of order a supra-national authority, the composition of which in the Territory. The police under the authority of should be determined by the councils of the two the Government of Burundi would maintain order in States. That view did not appear to be in line with normal circumstances, but if a situation were to Mr. Ngendandumwe's statements and he would like to arise in which they were unable to do so the Govern­ know whether UPRONA had changed its attitude since ment of Burundi would request the intervention of the its assumption of power after the elections. metropolitan forces under Belgian command. 10. :rvir. NGENDANDUMWE (Deputy Prime Minister 15. U TIN MAUNG (Burma) asked who was the pres­ of Burundi) replied that the attitude of his party had ent Chief of Police in Burundi. not basically changed, but had been revised and clari­ fied in the light of developments and the realities of 16. Mr. NGENDANDUMWE (Deputy Prime Minister the new situation as well as of past history. Burundi of Burundi) replied that the Minister of the Interior wanted independence as Burundi: once it was in­ and of Information in the Government of Burundi was dependent, political union or unions would be con­ the authority responsible for the maintenance of sidered, and even sought, with neighbouring coun­ order, but that during the interim period before the tries, From the economic point of view the union of achievement of independence the senior officers of Rwanda and Burundi was to be maintained, but with­ the police force were of European origin. in the. framework of two politically separate States. 17. U TIN MAUNG (Burma) wondered why the The la:te Prime Minister of Burundi had begun to con­ Government of Burundi had established its capital at sider the various possibilities of political unification Usumbura, which had been chosen by the Administer­ which might ultimately emerge after independence.