Office of the Historian

58. Telegram 29 From the Delegation to the International Telecommunications Union Conference to the Department of State, September 27, 1973, 0945Z.1 2

September 27, 1973, 0945Z

TELEGRAM
Department of State
TORREMOLINOS 29

P R 270945Z SEP 73

FM USDEL TORREMOLINOS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 26
INFO USUN NEW YORK 05
USMISSION GENEVA

TORREMOLINOS 29

E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: ETEL, ITU

SUBJECT: ITU PLENARY EXPELS SOUTH AFRICA AND PORTUGAL FROM ITU MEETINGS.
REF: STATE 189589

1. SUMMARY: ITU CONFERENCE PLENARY VOTED SEPT 26 TO EXCLUDE SOUTH AFRICA AND PORTUGAL FROM PLENIPOTENTIARY AND ALL OTHER MEETINGS OF UNION. VOTE WAS 77-39 (US) WITH 11 ABSTENTIONS ON PORTUGAL. SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF ARAB GROUP OF 16 NATIONS, IRAQ CALLED FOR SIMILAR TREATMENT OF ISRAEL, ALTHOUGH AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THE ARAB CALL MAY BE FOR RECORD ONLY. END SUMMARY.

2. CAMEROON AND ZAMBIA LED OFF DAY-LONG PROCESSION OF SPEAKERS DEMANDING EXCLUSION OF SOUTH AFRICA AND PORTUGAL FROM ITU MEETINGS. MAJOR THEMES WERE “INHUMAN” NATURE OF APARTHEID AND PORTUGUESE COLONIALISM, NUMEROUS UNGA RESES CONDEMNING BOTH, AND NEED FOR ITU TO FOLLOW UNGA RECOMMENDATIONS. SUPPORTERS MET CERTAIN OBJECTIONS TO EXCLUSION BY ASSERTING THAT PLENIPOTENTIARY IS SUPREME AND CAN LEGALIZE ACTION TAKEN CONTRARY TO MONTREUX CONVENTION, THAT MONTREUX ALREADY OVERRIDDEN ON ENLARGEMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL, AND THAT COOPERATION IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS MUST BE BETWEEN SOVEREIGN EQUALS WHO CAN WORK HARMONIOUSLY TOGETHER. ARGUMENT ALSO ADDUCED (BY ETHIOPIA) THAT ITU GOVERNED BY CONVENTION AND RESOLUTIONS OF MONTREUX (I.E. RESOLUTIONS 44-46).

3. OTHER SPEAKERS IN FAVOR OF EXPULSION WERE: UKRAINE, PERU, NIGERIA, KHMER, PRC, IRAQ, SAUDI ARABIA, ALBANIA, BIELORUSSIA, CUBA, TANZANIA, GDR, ARGENTINA, RWANDA, ZAIRE, CAR, PDRY, PANAMA, SENEGAL, IVORY COAST, YAR, POLAND, GUINEA AND EQUATORIAL GUINEA, NIGER, USSR, AFGHANISTAN, OMAN, BANGLADESH, YUGOSLAVIA, KUWAIT, EGYPT, LIBYA.

4. NETHERLANDS MMDE STRONG STATEMENT AGAINST EXPULSION, ASSERTING IT ILLEGAL AND REQUESTING ICJ OPINION ON RECEIVABILITY OF RESES. ITALY, BELGIUM, AUSTRIA, SPAIN AND SWITZERLAND SUPPORTED NETHERLANDS, CITING ARTICLE 2 OF MONTREUX AND STRESSING NEED FOR RULE OF LAW WHILE STIPULATING THEY DID NOT APPROVE SOUTH AFRICAN OR PORTUGUESE POLICIES. US OPPOSED RESES IN STATEMENT WHICH INCLUDED POINTS OUTLINED REFTEL. OTHERS SPEAKING AGAINST EXPULSION WERE: BOLIVIA, GREECE, IRELAND, BOTSWANA, LUXEMBOURG, FRANCE, UK AND FRG. UK MADE FORCEFUL PRESENTATION ARGUING, INTER ALIA, THAT FUTURE OF UN BODIES AT RISK IF PARTICIPATION MADE CONDITIONAL ON APPROVAL OF A MEMBER’S INTERNAL POLICIES BY MAJORITY OF MEMBERSHIP. FRG MADE POINT THAT EXPULSION WILL DISRUPT WORLD TELECOMMUNICATIONS BY STRENGTHENING REGIONAL AND WEAKENING GLOBAL, I.E., ITU, COMMUNICATIONS; “ITU WILL NO LONGER BE WORLDWIDE--ALL WILL SUFFER AND NONE WILL BENEFIT.”

5. IN SUPPORTING AFRICAN DRAFT RESES, IRAQ STATED IT SPEAKING FOR 16 ARAB NATIONS WHICH BELIEVED CONFERENCE SHOULD ADOPT SIMILAR MEASURES TOWARD ISRAEL “WHICH NO LESS OPPRESSIVE OR SAVAGE AND OCCUPIES TERRITORY OF THREE ITU MEMBERS.” IRAQI STATEMENT SUPPORTED BY SAUDI ARABIA, OMAN, KUWAIT, EGYPT, LIBYA (WHICH INSISTED ON “CONDEMNATION AND EVENTUAL” EXPULSION OF ISRAEL), PDRY, YAR AND GUINEA. ALBANIA, GDR AND USSR EXPRESSED SOLIDARITY WITH ARAB CAUSE; LATTER CITED UNGA RES 3005(XXVII) AND SAID ITU WILL HAVE TO EXAMINE MEASURES TO BE TAKEN. IN BRIEF REPLY, ISRAELI DELEGATE REJECTED ABOVE REMARKS AS “UNJUSTIFIED ATTACKS” AND EXPLOITATION OF PROFESSIONAL PLATFORM FOR PURELY PROPAGANDA PURPOSES.

6. THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY WHETHER ARAB STATES WILL PRESS FOR EXPULSION OF ISRAEL FROM CONFERENCE, OR SETTLE FOR SOME FORM OF DECLARATION FOR RECORD. SAUDI ARABIAN DELEGATE TOLD US SHORTLY AFTER PLENARY THAT HE KNOWS OF NO REPEAT NO PLAN TO PRESS FOR EXPULSION. WE WILL MONITOR CLOSELY AND REPORT.

7. COMMENT: DESPITE INDICATIONS OF AFRICAN NERVOUSNESS DURING VOTES AND JUBILATION AFTERWARD, OUTCOME WAS FULLY EXPECTED. WE JUDGE THAT BULK OF NEGATIVE VOTES CAME FROM CEPT COUNTRIES WHICH, LIKE US, GENUINELY DISTURBED BY LACK OF REGARD FOR MONTREUX CONVENTION AND HIGHLY CONCERNED ABOUT IMPLICATIONS EXPULSION ACTION FOR FUTURE OF ITU. BEAM

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Limited Official Use. The telegram was sent from Torremolinos-Malaga, Spain. Repeated to USUN and the Mission to the U.N. in Geneva. Ambassador Jacob D. Beam served as Chief U.S. Delegate.↩
  2. The delegation indicated that the International Telecommunications Union voted to exclude the Portuguese and South African representatives from all meetings.↩