The Evening Star (April 22, 1946)
U.N. may reach vote on Iran tomorrow, then consider Spain
NEW YORK, April 22 (AP) – The United Nations Security Council has two major question marks confronting it this week. One is whether to drop the Russian-Iranian case now, the other is Franco Spain.
That is the order the cases are slated to come up. The Council will end a long Easter weekend recess at 3 p.m. tomorrow, with its program calling for immediate consideration of the Russian-Iranian case.
On a solution of that problem, at least for the time being, the 11-delegate world peace agency will plunge once more into the Spanish situation.
May vote tomorrow
It appears there is little more than a formality left to the Iranian problem unless some delegates choose to make long addresses to support their actions. There is a strong possibility that a vote will be taken tomorrow.
The problem, in brief, is whether the Council will accede to a vigorous demand by Russia that it drop Iran forthwith from its agenda. The Iranians have formally with drawn the complaint against Russia which they lodged in London last January 18. The Russians have reported an agreement with Iran and have demanded that the Council cease making Iran its business.
But the Council apparently will sustain its action of April 4 in shelving the case until May 6, at which time it expects a report whether Russia has completely evacuated Iran as Russia promised.
On disposition of the latest angle of the Iranian case, the Council next has on its docket the charges by Poland that Franco Spain is a menace to world peace and is harboring Nazi scientists devising new weapons of war.
Poland’s request expected to lose
Debate on that issue last week developed the virtual certainty that Poland’s request that the United Nations sever diplomatic relations with Spain would be beaten. Only four nations – Poland, Russia, France and Mexico – spoke for the proposal; Brazil, the Netherlands and Great Britain flatly opposed it; China and the United States asked to see more proof that Spain was a menace to world peace; Egypt did not speak, and Australia brought forth a compromise plan.
Briefly, Australia would appoint a five-man committee from the members of the Council to examine the charges, take statements and evidence from the U.N. and from Franco Spain and report not later than May 17 on the entire situation.
The date likely would be amended, since the Council did not act on it last Thursday and Australia evidently desires to give the committee a month in which to make its investigation.
Inquiry commission expected
The consensus of U.N. observers was that some sort of investigating commission would be set up and final action on the Polish motion for a diplomatic break would be held up pending a report.
The Madrid government has expressed itself unofficially as favorable to a commission. Before the Council debate the Madrid regime suggested that those United Nations which have diplomatic representatives in Madrid send an investigating committee to look into charges that atomic energy experiments were being conducted by Germans on Spanish soil.
Now with the Council itself apparently disposed to name a commission to look into the whole Franco case, the Madrid radio said Saturday night that Spain would receive such a body “with pleasure.” However, the radio did not say what its reaction would be if the five-man group contained a representative or representatives of nations not now recognizing Franco Spain, such as Russia, Poland, Mexico, Australia or China.