222. Editorial Note
The Fourth Emergency Special Session of the United Nations held six plenary meetings between 8 p.m. on September 17 and 1:10 a.m. on September 20. On September 18, 17 African and Asian nations introduced a draft resolution which (1) affirmed the Security Council resolutions, (2) requested the Secretary-General to continue to take vigorous action to implement them, (3) appealed to all Congolese to seek a peaceful solution of their internal conflicts with the assistance of Asian and African representatives appointed by the Advisory Committee [Page 496] on the Congo, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the purpose of conciliation, (4) appealed to member governments for contributions to a U.N. Fund for the Congo, (5) requested all states to refrain from actions that might impede the restoration of law and order or undermine the Congo’s unity, territorial integrity, and independence and to assist in carrying out the Security Council’s decisions, and (6) called on all states to refrain from providing any military assistance to the Congo during the temporary period of U.N. military assistance, except upon request of the United Nations through the Secretary-General. (U.N. doc. A/L.292/Rev.l)
On September 19, Soviet Representative Valerian A. Zorin introduced a Soviet draft resolution which condemned Belgian “armed aggression” and demanded withdrawal of all Belgian troops from the Congo, criticized the “failure” of the Secretary-General and the U.N. Command to implement important provisions of the Security Council resolutions, and called on all states to refrain from any actions that might be detrimental to the Congo’s territorial integrity and independence. (U.N. doc. A/L.293) Zorin also proposed several amendments (U.N. doc. A/L.294) to the 17-power draft resolution but acceded to a Ghanaian request on behalf of the resolution’s sponsors that he refrain from pressing his amendments. Ambassador James J. Wadsworth told the Assembly the United States would have preferred to amend the Afro-Asian resolution but would support it in view of the urgency of the situation.
On September 20, the General Assembly adopted the Afro-Asian draft resolution as Resolution 1474 (ES–IV), by a vote of 70 to 0 with 11 abstentions, including the Soviet Union, France, and the Union of South Africa. For the records of the six meetings, see U.N. docs. A/PV.858–863. The texts of Wadsworth’s September 19 statement, the Soviet draft resolution and amendments, and Resolution 1474 (ES–IV) are in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1960, pages 589–594.