Uno "Dragged Into
pp. 60-61 · Read in the full issue
Letter to the Editor
The Tapini Affair"
MORE Ammunition for UNO” ir your August issue is reallj absurd. There is an article about the ‘‘Tapini Affair”, of interest to many and of concern to most ol the many. So why not keep to the point; and why drag in UNO?
Even if the Tapini Affair had hap pened in the Trust Territory of Nev Guinea: and the Trusteeship Coun cil might then have discussed it why should the bogey of UNO b« raised?
“No one in UNO is going to lik< it a bit”. If Administrative Officer: have to appear in a Criminal Cour to answer charges arising out 01 their actions as officials, whc proud of Australia’s record in th Territory, is going to like it?
But as the Taipini Affair tool place in Papua, the affairs of whid Territory the Trusteeship Counci may not discuss, then the mentioi of UNO both at the head and thj tail of the PIM article referred tc can only be due to ignorance, whid would be bad enough, or to a delibc erate attempt to confuse readers a» to the proper functions of the Work Organisation, which would be worse Whilst I am at it, may I mentio> two more things. Firstly, Australii is a voluntary member of the Unite- Nations; and any suggestion tha she should or might want to end he membership there is laughabb What, give up the right to appeaf on the platform before 80 nation and make known Australia’s attitud to this, that and the other worll affair. Give up membership, whethe permanent or for a term, on Coun cils and Committees such a Trusteeship, Security, Economic an Social, Atomic Energy, just to nam some? Not much!
Secondly, it is not sufficient! appreciated that the Trusteeshi Agreements which Australia entere into with the United Nations witf regard to New Guinea and t Nauru (for Nauru, also on behalf o New Zealand and the UK) wer word for word as Australia dt manded, and got.
The point was that Austral;! presented the Agreements to tH UN and long and wrangling wei; the debates which followed; and was fortunate to be present at thei; all. Numerous amendments we;; presented by the Committee; an finally Australia accepted two fr New Guinea.
Several nations declared tha they could not accept the term laid down by Australia, that it wr a dictated agreement to which the: would never agree. And it wr, India who pointed out most forcibc
hat though it was true that Pro essor Bailey was dictating Aus ralia’s terms; nevertheless, if the Inited Nations wanted Trusteeship greements then they accepted lustralia’s terms or there were no greements. It <was -as simple as hat.
The agreements were signed; and he terms were as Australia de landed. The same is true, of
course, of those agreements pre sented by the UK, France, Belgium, New Zealand and the United States.
A meal may not turn out as planned; but at least the cook should not complain.
I am, etc.,
G. W. L. Townsend.
Via Palmwoods, Queensland.