On October 23 the U.S. Representative, Clarence M. Mitchell, spoke in the Committee's general debate. He reiterated the unequivocal U.S. condemnation of the apartheid system of legislated racial discrimination and stressed the U.S. view that South Africa should be exposed to the relentless and unceasing demands of the world community to eradicate the apartheid system. stated: He "The United States deplores the detention of persons whose only act is outspoken opposition to the system of apartheid. The South African Government is courting disaster when such repressive measures have the effect of closing off all avenues for peaceful change." He concluded by appealing to those nations present to On October 15 Sweden introduced a draft resolution, eventually sponsored by 46 states, entitled "UN Trust Fund for South Africa." The resolution was approved by the Special Political Committee without objection on October 20 and adopted by the Assembly, also without objection, on November 28. Like previous resolutions on the same subject, it appealed to all states, organizations, and individuals to make more generous direct contributions to the Trust Fund and to the voluntary agencies assisting the victims of apartheid and racial discrimination in South Africa, Namibia, and Southern Rhodesia. On October 16 Denmark introduced a draft resolution, eventually sponsored by 78 states, entitled "Solidarity with the South. African Political Prisoners." The resolution, inter alia, expressed solidarity with all South Africans struggling against apartheid and called on South Africa to grant an unconditional amnesty to all persons imprisoned or restricted for their opposition to apartheid or acts arising from such opposition. Following the resolution's approval without objection on October 20, the United States expressed a reservation concerning the choice of language in the operative paragraph concerning unconditional amnesty to the extent that it could possibly be interpreted as condoning acts of terrorism or violence. The General Assembly adopted the resolution without objection on November 28. 77-838 0764 On October 22 Yugoslavia submitted a draft resolution entitled "Special Responsibility of the United Nations and the International Community Toward the Oppressed People of South Africa," which was eventually sponsored by 56 states. The resolution (1) proclaimed the special responsibility of the United Nations and the international community toward the oppressed people of South Africa and their liberation movements and (2) reiterated the determination of the General Assembly to devote increasing attention and all necessary resources to concerting international efforts for the speedy eradication of apartheid in South Africa and the liberation of the South African people. The United States abstained on the resolution, which was approved in committee on October 24 by a rollcall vote of 90 to 0, with 9 abstentions, and adopted by the plenary Assembly on November 28 by a recorded vote of 97 to 0, with 9 abstentions. The United States abstained because it does not consider the situation in South Africa to be a colonial one and it opposed the reference in the last paragraph to the "liberation of the South African people." Although the United States supports the speedy eradication of apartheid, it does not believe it to be the responsibility of the General Assembly to devote "all necessary resources" to efforts for the liberation of South African people. On October 27 Nigeria introduced a draft resolution on "bantustans," or tribal homelands, which was sponsored by 68 states. In one of its preambular paragraphs the resolution reaffirmed the legitimacy of the struggle of the South African people, under the leadership of their national liberation movements, by all means possible for the total eradication of apartheid and for the exercise of their right to self-determination. In its operative paragraphs the resolution (1) condemned the establishment of bantustans as "designed to consolidate the inhuman policies of apartheid, to perpetuate white minority domination, and to dispossess the African people of South Africa of their inalienable rights in their country"; (2) said that the establishment of bantustans was designed to destroy the territorial integrity of the country; and (3) called upon all governments and organizations not to deal with any institutions or authorities of the bantustans or to accord any form of recognition to them. On October 29 Belgium introduced two amendments, also sponsored by Luxembourg and the Netherlands, that would have (1) replaced the preambular paragraph described above with one that reaffirmed "the legitimacy of the struggle in South Africa, irrespective of race, color, and creed, for the total eradication of apartheid and any form of racial discrimination"; and (2) added a fourth operative paragraph that called on South Africa "to cease all efforts to establish bantustans and to conform to the principles expressed in the UN Charter." On October 30 the Committee rejected the amendments by a vote of 25 in favor (U.S.) to 69 opposed, with 11 abstentions. The resolution was then approved by a recorded vote of 100 to 0, with 8 abstentions (U.S.), and subsequently adopted in plenary session on November 28 by a recorded vote of 99 to 0, with 8 abstentions (U.S.). The U.S. Representative, Richard Whistler, explained in the Committee that the United States had reservations about operative paragraph 3 calling on governments not to deal with the bantustans in view of the U.S. policy of keeping open channels of communication to all elements of the South African population regardless of race. On October 29 India introduced a draft resolution, eventually sponsored by 72 states, on "Apartheid in Sports." The resolution inter alia (1) reaffirmed the support of the Olympic principle that no discrimination be allowed on the grounds of race, religion, or political affiliation; (2) called on all governments, sports bodies, and other organizations to (a) refrain from all contacts with sports bodies established on the basis of apartheid or racially selected sports teams from South Africa, and (b) to exert all their influence to secure the full implementation of the Olympic principle, especially by the National and international sports bodies that have continued cooperation with South African sports bodies established on the basis of apartheid. The resolution was approved without objection by the Committee on October 30 and by the General Assembly on November 28. On October 31 Libya introduced a lengthy draft resolution entitled "Situation in South Africa," which was eventually sponsored by 54 states. In one of its preambular paragraphs it expressed deep concern over "the grave situation in South Africa, which constitutes an affront to human dignity and a threat to international peace and security." In its principal operative paragraphs it (1) condemned the racist regime of South Africa for its policies and practices of apartheid, which are a "crime against humanity"; (2) strongly condemned the actions of those states and foreign economic and other interests that continued to collaborate with the racist regime of South Africa and strongly urged the main trading partners of South Africa, particularly the United Kingdom, the United States, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, and Italy, to cease collaboration with the racist regime of South Africa and to cooperate with the United Nations in the efforts to eradicate apartheid; (3) again condemned the strengthening of relations and collaboration between the racist regime of South Africa and Israel in the political, military, economic, and other fields; (4) reaffirmed the legitimacy of the struggle of the oppressed people of South Africa by all means possible for the total eradication of apartheid; (5) reaffirmed that the racist regime of South Africa was "illegitimate" and had no right to represent the people of South Africa; (6) appealed to all states to impose an effective embargo on the supply of petroleum, petroleum products, and strategic raw materials to South Africa, and (7) requested the Security Council to consider urgently the situation in South Africa "with a view to adopting effective measures, under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, to resolve the grave situation in the area." On November 4 the resolution was approved in committee by a rollcall vote of 83 to 15 (U.S.), with 13 abstentions. The United States opposed the resolution because it could not support a number of the paragraphs, including those describing the situation in South Africa as a threat to international peace and security, calling for Chapter VII sanctions, and condemning those states that maintain normal contacts with South Africa. These reservations were set forth in an explanation after the vote, during which the U.S. Representative reaffirmed the continuing U.S. position that maintaining communications with South Africans of every group was essential to the positive development of the situation in South Africa. When the Committee's report on apartheid came before the plenary on November 28, a vote on this draft resolution was postponed until a later date at the request of some African delegations which intended to introduce an amendment to it. Subsequently, on December 8, the Malagasy Republic introduced two amendments which were also sponsored by six other African states. These amendments expressed serious concern over "the direct intervention of South African armed forces in Angola" and condemned that intervention as a further manifestation of the intention of South Africa to "strengthen its policy of domination and racial discrimination in the region." Zaire then introduced two subamendments which had the effect of condemning all foreign intervention in Angola, including that of South Africa. Ambassador Moynihan then addressed the Assembly to state that in voting on the amendments the Assembly would be facing another moment of truth--whether the United Nations would settle for "the big lie that intervention in the country of Angola is that of one nation only, in the face of the enormous fact that this is not true." Ambassador Moynihan attacked the effort by a new European colonial power to recolonize Africa and stated that the critical question was whether African nations would allow themselves to be parties to a new European conquest. He noted that no evidence had yet been presented concerning the role of South Africa and said the United States would welcome such information when it appeared before the Assembly. His purpose, however, was to introduce some facts about the whole of the situation. He then read from a New York Times article describing the introduction of Soviet arms and Cuban fighting men into Angola. He concluded by again calling on the Assembly to tell the truth and avoid the contempt of the world and of history by settling for the "big lie." After several points of order, the Assembly voted to adjourn debate. On December 10 both the amendments and subamendments were withdrawn for lack of support and the Assembly adopted the unamended resolution as forwarded from the Special Political Committee by a rollcall vote of 101 to 15 (U.S.), with 16 abstentions. The final resolution on apartheid was introduced in the Committee on November 4 by Tanzania and eventually sponsored by 33 states. Entitled "Program of Work of the Special Committee Against Apartheid," the resolution, inter alia, requested the Special Committee to intensify its efforts to promote coordinated international campaigns against apartheid and to give special attention in 1976 to encouraging, promoting, and supporting (1) campaigns for the legitimate struggle of the national liberation movements recognized by the OAU against the racist regime of South Africa; (2) actions by trade union, women, student, youth, and religious organizations to express their solidarity with and support of the oppressed people of South Africa; (3) campaigns against the collaboration by any government or transnational corporation with the racist regime of South Africa; and (4) condemnation of the propaganda of the racist regime of South Africa and its supporters, and the widest dissemination of information on the struggle of the South African people for their right to self-determination. On November 6 the resolution was approved by a rollcall vote of 98 to 0, with 8 abstentions (U.S.). The United States abstained because it could not support the paragraphs endorsing campaigns against collaboration by governments and transnational corporations with the South African Government. The U.S. Representative, Mr. Whistler, explained after the vote that these paragraphs lent themselves to capricious and arbitrary interpretation and misuse. He also pointed out U.S. reservations about the language in the resolution that appeared to condone violence against the South African Government. The resolution was subsequently adopted by the General Assembly on November 28 by a recorded vote of 103 to 0, with 7 abstentions (U.S.). Following the adoption of the six resolutions on November 28, the U.S. Representative, Clarence M. Mitchell, made a detailed explanation of vote to clarify |