Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–14, Part 1, Documents on the United Nations, 1973–1976

152. Telegram 261234 From the Department of State to All Diplomatic Posts, November 27, 1974, 0043Z.¹ ²

November 27, 1974, 0043Z

TELEGRAM
Department of State
261234

P 270043Z NOV 74

FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC POSTS PRIORITY
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
INFO USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY ROME

STATE 261234

ROME FOR FAO

E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: UN, FAO, WFC

SUBJECT: UNGA CONSIDERATION OF WORLD FOOD CONFERENCE (WFC)

1. USG ATTACHES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO UNGA ADOPTION OF WFC RESULTS AT ITS CURRENT SESSION. CONFERENCE, WHICH PROPOSED BY SECRETARY KISSINGER AT 28TH GA, WAS HELD IN ROME NOVEMBER 5-16, AND ADOPTED LARGE NUMBER OF RESOLUTIONS COVERING ACTIONS AND POLICIES NEEDED FOR TACKLING FOOD PROBLEM ON A WORLDWIDE BASIS. WE REGARD OVER-ALL RESULTS, WHICH GENERALLY IN LINE WITH SPECIFIC PROPOSALS ADVANCED BY SECRETARY AT OPENING OF CONFERENCE, AS HIGHLY SATISFACTORY. SEPTEL DESCRIBES THESE RESULTS IN DETAIL. OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE IN NEW YORK IS TO OBTAIN UNGA ENDORSEMENT OF WFC RESES WITHOUT ALTERATION.

2. MOST IMPORTANT NEXT STEP IS FOR GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED TO BEGIN DETAILED AND CONCRETE WORK ON SPECIFIC TASKS AGREED TO AT WFC. IN OUR VIEW, MOST DIRECT MEANS OF MAINTAINING MOMENTUM AND CARRYING FORWARD WORK OF WFC IS FOR UNGA TO ADOPT RELATIVELY SIMPLE RESOLUTION COMMENDING WORK OF WFC, ENDORSING ITS RESULTS AND ESTABLISHING WORLD FOOD COUNCIL, CALLING UPON GOVERNMENTS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WFC RECOMMENDATIONS, REQUESTING SPECIALIZED AGENCIES AND OTHER BODIES TO UNDERTAKE TASKS DELINEATED FOR THEM AT WFC, AND DECIDING TO PLACE ON AGENDA OF 30TH UNGA AN ITEM REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION OF WFC AND PROGRESS TO DATE.

3. ONLY SPECIFIC AREA WHICH WE BELIEVE WARRANTS SPECIAL UNGA TREATMENT IS ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORLD FOOD COUNCIL AND SUBSEQUENT ELECTION OF ITS MEMBERS. WFC RESOLUTION ON ARRANGEMENTS FOR FOLLOW-UP PROVIDES THAT MEMBERS OF COUNCIL SHOULD BE NOMINATED BY ECOSOC AND ELECTED BY GENERAL ASSEMBLY. WE BELIEVE PRACTICAL COURSE OF ACTION, GIVEN LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME AVAILABLE, IS FOR CURRENT UNGA TO DECIDE ON NUMBER OF MEMBERS TO BE ON COUNCIL AND TO REQUEST ECOSOC GIVE PRIORITY ATTENTION TO NOMINATION OF MEMBERS. NUMBER WE FAVOR WOULD BE 25.

4. IN VIEW OUR SATISFACTION WITH WFC AND DESIRE GET ON WITH IMPLEMENTATION RATHER THAN HAVE ISSUES RE-DEBATED IN NEW YORK, WE WISH TO ELICIT AS WIDE SUPPORT AS POSSIBLE FOR PROMPT AND NON-CONTENTIOUS ENDORSEMENT WFC RESULTS BEFORE UNGA CLOSES IN MID-DECEMBER. INITIALLY ECOSOC WILL CONSIDER WFC RESULTS IN LAST FEW DAYS OF NOVEMBER AND FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER. THEN SEVERAL DAYS DISCUSSION IN UNGA’S COMMITTEE TWO (PERHAPS AS EARLY AS DECEMBER 3 AND 4), BEFORE FINAL ACTION BY GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ARE ENVISAGED.

5. TO MAXIMIZE CHANCES OF SUCCESS IN UNGA, POSTS SHOULD, UNLESS IT BELIEVED SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT OTHERWISE, MAKE URGENT REPRESENTATIONS AT HIGHEST APPROPRIATE LEVEL EXPLAINING IMPORTANCE WE ATTACH TO PROMPT ENDORSEMENT OF WFC RESULTS AND URGING ACTIVE SUPPORT OF THIS OBJECTIVE BY HOST COUNTRY DELEGATION IN N.Y. IN ADDITION TO BACKGROUND DISCUSSED ABOVE AND SEPTEL DESCRIBING CONFERENCE RESULTS, POSTS MAY DRAW ON FOLLOWING TALKING POINTS:

A. WFC RESULTS REPRESENT FIRST COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT TO ESTABLISH INTEGRATED AND LONG-RANGE FRAMEWORK FOR TACKLING FOOD PROBLEMS ON WORLDWIDE BASIS. EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH AND WE DO NOT WISH TO FALTER IN THIS INTERNATIONAL UNDERTAKING. MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE NOW IS TO MAINTAIN MOMENTUM GENERATED BY WFC. THIS BEST DONE BY PROMPT UNGA ENDORSEMENT OF WFC RESULTS AND URGING OF GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO PRESS FORWARD WITH IMPLEMENTATION.

B. IF OPPORTUNITY IS MISSED AT THIS UNGA OF ENDORSING WFC RESULTS THERE WILL INEVITABLY BE MUCH GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF INDECISIVENESS AND SLOWDOWN IN TACKLING PRACTICAL PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN A COORDINATED FASHION. COMPLEX, INTERRELATED PROBLEMS SUCH AS PRODUCTION, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, FOOD SECURITY, FERTILIZER AND NUTRITION, WHICH ARE ALL ADDRESSED IN WFC RESOLUTIONS WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO MANAGE IF THERE IS DELAY IN PURSUING ANY OF THEM.

C. WE BELIEVE IT EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ENDORSE WFC RESULTS AS A WHOLE. IN ANY LARGE AND COMPLEX NEGOTIATION THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME ASPECTS WHICH ONE PARTICIPANT OR ANOTHER FEELS COULD BE IMPROVED. THIS MOST CERTAINLY APPLIES TO UNITED STATES WITH REGARD TO SOME RECOMMENDATIONS BUT WE HAVE CONCLUDED THAT OVER-ALL RESULTS OF WFC ARE SO POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE THAT COMMON INTEREST OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTS THEIR FULL ENDORSEMENT. WE URGE THAT OTHER GOVERNMENTS, TAKING BROAD VIEW OF THE COMMON INTEREST, JOIN WITH US IN PROMOTING PROMPTEST POSSIBLE FOLLOW-ON WORK BY ENDORSING WFC AS A WHOLE.

D. FOR ALL OF THESE REASONS WE URGE AUTHORITIES OF HOST GOVERNMENT INSTRUCT ITS UN DEL TO WORK WITH US IN N.Y. TO ACHIEVE NON-CONTENTIOUS AND RELATIVELY SIMPLE RESOLUTION ENDORSING WFC RESULTS AND PERMITTING PROMPT, ENERGETIC FOLLOW-UP AMONG GOVERNMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED.

7. PLEASE REPORT REACTIONS SOONEST, INFO TO USUN. INGERSOLL

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Limited Official Use; Priority. Drafted by Byrnes and Neidle; cleared by Placke, Martin, Paarlberg (in substance), and Morey; and approved by Buffum. Repeated to USUN, the Mission to the U.N. in Geneva, and Rome for the Representative to FAO.
2. The Department instructed U.S. representatives to request host governments’ support for World Food Conference resolutions at the 29th United Nations General Assembly.