SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1954 THE MICHIGAN DAILY 1PAf.*V RV.VVW THE JCHGA~ flt.l 1 * f SW u'YE I United Nation's Strength A ssessed on UN Day' ---4> Organization, Background, Function of UN Reviewed. By MARY ANN THOMAS As a concept the United Nations has existed in the hearts of men from the time of the ancient Greeks when city-states united in an Athenian League for their mutual protection. As a ,reality the United Nations is still in its infancy, with just eight years of experience behind it. As the Athenian League was formed for protection, so was the present-day world organization, but with important differences. Fifty nations representing nearly two billion people resolved on June 26, 1945, "to combine our efforts" to make a secure and better world through "an international organization to be known as the United Nations." Charter Signed After four years of hope and prep- aration the Charter was signed. The famed Atlantic Charter laid the foundations for the United Na- tions. Issued during the summer of 1941 by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the docu- ment asked for abandonment of the use of force and expressed fa- vor in some type of international organization. Next step in forming the UN was the declaration of the Allies in January of 1942 that stated that none would sue for a separate peace at the end of World War II but that they would organize. Moscow Declaration Drawing closer to realizing ful- fillment of their hopes, the Big Four (Great Britain, France, So- viet Union and the United States) issued the Moscow Declaration rec- ognizing the need to establish an international organization based on the principle of sovereign equality of peacelovinghstates. Finally at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944 the framework >t of the United Nations was drawn up to be affirmed at the historic San Francisco Conference in 1945. Purposes of the world organiza- tion as outlined in the Charter are to maintain peace and security, to develop friendly relations between nations, to create international co- operation on economic and social problems and to be the center for harmonizing the actions of nations in achieving these ends. Six Main Organs To cope with the intricate prob- lem of carrying out these purposes, the United Nations has a detailed organization consisting of six main organs-the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat. The heart of the UN is the Gen- eral Assembly. Made up of all members who have one vote, this body is a discussion group and not designed to take action on issues. ' However, since anything can be brought up for consideration, it is termed the conscience of the world. At the time of the Korean War an important implement of power was given to the General Assem- bly. A resolution by Dean Acheson enables the Assembly to take im- mediate action on any serious mat-' ter if the Security Council fails to take action. This power enables the delibera- tive body to circumvent the veto of important matters in the upperl council. The Security Council is the ac-+ tion body although its action has been seriously hampered by the veto. It consists of eleven members of which five are permanent. Non- permanent members chosen by the General Assembly serve two years with overlapping terms. Intricate Voting System Voting in the Security is an in- tricate system. Seven positive votes are necessary to pass pro- cedural or substantive motions. The weakness of the system lies in the rule that the five permanent members must agree on substan- tive motions. Disproval by one per- manent member constitutes the veto. This is the only body that is giv- en power to preserve the peace. It can use arbitration, wage economic sanctions with embargoes or it may resort to military force and call upon members to contribute troops. The Secretariat performs all the business of the world organization. In many aspects itcan be called the most influential body in the UN. The difficulty in appointing a successor to Trygve Lie testifies to the importance of the Secretary- General. Appointment of Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjold to the post came after many months of argument and arbitration. Economic and Social Council Working under the authority of the General Assembly, the Eco- nomic and Social Council organ- izes technical assistance to needy areas of the world. It makes stud- ies, reports and recommendations on international economic, social, cultural, educational, and health matters and also with respect to' human rights. This group is composed of eigh- teen member states, six of whom are elected each year by the Gen- eral Assembly for a three-year term. To ensure that member states who govern territories carry out their obligation to promote "polit- ical, economic, social and educa- tional advancement, the Charter set up the Trusteeship Council. Sixth main body of the United Nations is the International Court of Justice. Set up after the first worldwar with its own statute, the Court is an annex to the UN charter. Sitting at The Hague, the World Court consists of fifteen judges elected independently by the Security Council and the Gen- eral Assembly. Every member state of the UN has automatic access to the Court and is pledged to comply with any decision of the body. Professors Analyze UN Progress (EDITOR'S NOTE - The following comment story is a general appraisal of the United Nations; the progress it has made as well as its shortcom- ings.) By RONA FRIEDMAN "The United Nations, as an in- ternational organization, can be as strong as. its members wish to make it," Prof. N. Marbury Efim- enco of the Political Science de- partment, pointed out. "It is not essential that we change the machinery of the UN. The basic issue is whether we are psychologically ready to cooperate under the present set-up," Prof. Efimenco continued. The fault does not lie with the UN but the "burden of proof must be placed on the nations them- selves." Similar opinions were voiced by Prof. Philip Taylor, Prof. Daniel Wit and Robert Curtis, all of the political science department. By-Pass UN In the area of peace and inter- national security, the success of the United Nations has been lim- ited, because the major nations have by-passed it too frequently, taking their disputes outside the organization, Curtis commented. The Geneva, London and Ber- lin Conferences were mentioned as examples of great power meet- ings held outside the UN in the traditional pre-UN style. "The United Nations was not intended to be a world govern- ment when it was created and therefore it would not be possible to revise the UN at present to be a world government," Prof. Wit said. This is because the Soviet Union and the United States both indi- cate their preference to organize on a regional basis and not a world basis," he continued. "The Korean War offered some hope for collective action," he add- ed, "but it indicates the possibili- ties rather than a firm basis for future police action." World Police Force At present a world police force would be impossible, Prof. Wit feels, because to be effective the force would have to be more pow- erful than the individual members and they would never agree to this. Another explanation of the in- effectiveness of the UN in dealing with certain basic issues, was giv- en by Prof. Taylor. The UN supports the 1945 stat- us quo in a territorial as well as legal sense, Prof. Taylor comment- ed. These principles which underly the UN Charter also provide the basis of United States foreign pol- icy. Thus close affiliation on terms of law and principles commits the United States to support UN pol- icy, he explained. USSR Violates Principles The only attacker of the status quo is the Soviet Union which has violated territorial settlement and By DAVE BAAD United Nations architects de- signed the UN General Assembly Hall to accommodate 90 delega- tions instead of the 60 that pres- ently belong to the organization. If present attitudes p e r s i s t among UN members extra Assem- bly Hall seats will be available for some time to come. Within a few weeks the Assem- bly's Special Political Committee will again discuss the possibility of admitting new countries but there is little hope in United Na- tions circles that additions will be made. Twenty-one Fail Twenty-one countries have failed thus far to win approval of mem- bership applications. To be ad- mitted the nation's application must be supported by seven votes in the Security Council and be ap- proved by the General Assembly. Fourteen states supported by the West consistently meet a Soviet veto while Russia's seven proteges are unable to get the seven votes necessary for Security Council ap- proval. The West always abstains from voting. The 21 countries include West supported Finland, Ireland, Portu- JUN Membership Applications Blocked by Security Council PRESIDENT EISENHOWER issues a "United Nations Day" proclamation and asks for a better public understanding of UN achievements and problems. supported Finland, Ireland, Portu- the rights of individuals before the state, he continued. The USSR can not accept these principles and this is the basic reason why certain issues have not been resolved in the UN. "The Soviet Union can be com- pared to a potential criminal on a police force which is the rea- son why that police force is not more effective," he said. Major Achievements "The major achievements that the UN has made have been in social and economic areas," said Prof. Efimenco. The record of achievements has been quite re- markable, slowly building a sphere of new world order, though it doesn't make headlines and has not been given the proper public- ity." Prof. E f i m en co mentioned UNESCO, World Health, FAO as successful examples of the work being done in the social and econo- mic fields by the UN adding "sur- vival depends on this work. "However, the great problem is to have peaceful coexistence con- tinue so that the world is not destroyed in the meantime," he commented. If this progress con- tinues for half a century, there will be a stable world community with a general higher standard of living. "The shift of emphasis from the Security Council to General As- sembly which was not intended by the original charter, is not a fail- ure by the UN but a constructive development," he said.1 were pointed out by Prof. Tay- lor. "For the first time there is an international organization that is partly devoted to the problems of the smaller nations." There is also a new moral cli- mate in international relations, exemplified by the Trusteeship Council which has been partially successful in obtaining reports from the major nations on the progress which their colonies are making towards independence, he commented. Comparing the UN to the former League of Nations, Prof. Wit pointed out that some of the ma- chinery of the UN is stronger than that of the League. However, all the improvements are ultimately based on the agreement of the great powers, he continued. The success of both the League and the UN was dependent on the unanimity of the great powers. For both could not coerce a great power, he said. Today there is more hope that an international organization will succeed for the situation is more desperate with the threat of ano- ther world war and hydrogen bombs, he concluded. Stateless Persons Italy is the 18 country to sign the Convention Relating to Sta- tus of Stateless Persons opened for signature on Sept. 28. The Convention provides cer- tain minimum standards of treat- ment for persons who have no link BAT GALIM: Arab-Israeli Peace Efforts Halted by Ship Controversy gal, Italy, Libya, Jordan, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia, Ceylon, Japan, Austria, South Korea and South Viet Nam. Russia is in favor of admitting the Mongolian People's Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Al- bania, North Korea, and North Viet Nam. Examine Two Proposals Last year the Assembly exam- ined two proposals to break the new membership deadlock. Latin American states advocated an interpretation of the UN char- ter, allowing the Assembly to by- pass the Security Council and take definite action itself. The proposal received little support. When this failed Russia suggest- ed a package deal admitting all the 21 states at once except the two Korean states, the four Indo- China states and Japan. Offer Turned Down The West turned this down so Russia as a last resort asked for admittance of the five countries which had signed the 1946 World War II peace treaty in Europe, Bulgaria, Finland, Italy, Hungary and Romania. With all concrete plans rejected the Assembly set tip a Committee of Good Offices "empowered to consult with members of the Se- curity Council with object of ex- ploring possibilities of reaching an understanding which would facili- tate admission of new members in accordance with Article Four of the UN Charter." Committee members included Egypt, Netherlands and Peru. The deadlock, however shows no signs of breaking during this ses- sion. United States officials will not agree to a package deal as long as West Germany, Japan and Spain are excluded. The United States is afraid that these countries will be kept from membership permanently if they are not brought in with the next admission arrangement. The United States is instead ad- vocating an interim ;solution en- abling certain countries to take part in Assembly debate without a vote. British officials have been cgpl to this however, and so have many countries who would supposedly benefit by the solution. Affected countries speak of responsibility without authority and of 'second class' membership which the idea entails. 'Toughest Job' When Dag Hommarskjold, Swed- ish diplomat, became Secretary General of the United Nations in 1953, he assumed one of the world diplomacy's highest posts and also -in *the words of his predecessor, Tyrgve Lie-"the most impossible job in the world." When the United Nations Gener- al Assembly adopted a modified plan to partition Israel on Nov. 29, 1947, no means of enforcing the recommendation was provided. The British Mandate of Pales- tine ended at midnight, May 14, 1948 and the State of Israel was proclaimed. The next day forces from Egypt, Jordan and Iraqbe- gan to move into Palestine. The outcome of the Arab-Israel struggle left four unsolved prob- lems: Four Problems 1) Lack of final peace settle- ment; 2) A zig-zag frontier which causes continual disputes; 3) Re- sponsibility for Arab refugees; and 4) Settlement of the final status of the Holy City of Jerusalem. Premier Moshe Sharett of Israel appealed to Arab nations on Sept. 27 for a peace settlement, agreeing to: Arab transit and free port fa- cilities in Haifa; allow Arab states in Africa and Asia to use Israel as a link without infringing upon Is- raeli sovereignty; and set up a compensation project for Arab ref- ugees in Palestine. However, the efforts to establish some type of peaceful settlement between Israel and the Arab states was blocked by incidents of Sept. 29, when Israel accused Egypt of seizing an Israel merchant vessel, the Bat Galim, in the Suez Canal area. Demands Crew Release Israel's Permanent Representa- tive to the United Nations, Abba Eban, demanded that the ship and its crew of ten men be released, and on Oct. 4 called for an early meeting of the Security Council to consider the complaint of alleged Egyptian interference with ship- ping in the Suez Canal. However, a few days later, and before discussion began in the Se- curity Council, Egypt lodged a complaint with the UN Egyptian- Israeli Mixed Armistice Commis- sion, maintaining that the Bat Ga- lim was seized after it fired on Egyptian fishing boats in territor- ial waters near the port of Suez. This was denied by Representa- tive Abban, who asserted that the only firearms aboard the Israeli merchant vessel was the captain's pistol. After a meeting to hear both sides on Oct. 14, the Security Coun- cil postponed further debate until a report from the Egyptian-Israeli M i x e d ,Armistice .Commission, which is making an on-the-spot in- vestigation, is submitted. Other achievements of the UN I of nationality with any state. ............vestigation,..is-submitted.- ....1...4.... .......r. ........., ................... ...*.*.......*.t.*.*h....................v...,.........,........... '....... -..w ....... . ...... . ,, .:.rr r .{r.x'r:,trr' rr, ........?..:....r?..........:.............."... " r.^ n r :"%r .:.."" :v:.":::t: r::-r:- -:-.:- .a".s.r . ."Id" ,..... ..;r.. ..f" ^r:.} .rr, .r:: ':'.' DOWNTOWN M+ Romantic and Rustling... Our Ballroom Beauties $2500 to $3500 .. ;Y. .4. F 4, .4 Gala evening fashions in the Holiday Spirit . . . all color, sparkle, glamour! Knowingly styled for the smart sophisti- cate or the Dresden doll .. . in frou frou nets or whispering taffetas. Come see our collection of evening fashions that you'll look forward to wearing. Pastels and darks. Misses' sizes. ...but nothing can imitate SLEEPWEAR for the young at heart Schrank brings you the gayest, most comfortable, toasty-warm slumberwear imaginable. They're cleverly styled and carefully tailored for pleasant dreams, or wonderful lounging ease. All completely washable, "TABBY" NIGHTSHIRT in piping hot peppermint stripes of cuddly soft flannelette. Bright red tabs at pocket and shirt-tails. Sizes 32 to 38. 5.00 DAILY STORE HOURS 9:30 TO 5:30 ONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY r "'a, %IU \ - fJlf.Ili: ;.;:: i:: . : :: ::: r>:- c t :'.3 ANEMM z