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69. Telegram 4677 From the Mission to the United Nations to the Department of State, November 2, 1974, 0127Z.1 2

November 2, 1974, 0127Z

TELEGRAM
Department of State
USUN 4677

R 020127Z NOV 74

FM USMISSION USUN NY
TO /SECSTATE WASHDC 7027
INFO AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMCONSUL CAPETOWN
AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA

USUN 4677

CAPETOWN FOR EMBASSY
DAR ES SALAAM FOR ASST, SECT, EASUM

E.O. 1652: GDS
TAGZ: PFOR, UN, SF,

SUBJ: REACTIONS AT UN TO US VETO OF SOUTH AFRICAN EXPULSION

1. PRELIMINARY REACTIONS ESPECIALLY AMONG AFRICAN MEMBERS OF THE UN, TO US EXERCISE OF VETO, HAVE BEEN WITHOUT DISCERNIBLE PATTERNS AND WITHOUT PARTICULARLY STRONG CRITICISM. SEVERAL DELEGATIONS, TO OUR SURPRISE IN SOME CASES, HAVE CONGRATULATED US ON STATEMENT MADE BY AMB. SCALI, WHILE DISAGREEING WITH THE WAY WE VOTED. VERY FEW HAVE LAMBASTED US. RUNDOWN OF CERTAIN REACTIONS BY COUNTRY MAY BE OF SOME INTEREST: CAMEROON-MISOFF NDIMBIE TOLD US THAT HE UNDERSTOOD OUR VOTE, THAT WE HAD TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FROM WASHINGTON, AND THAT CERTAIN ELEMENTS THERE WERE SYMPATHETIC TO SOUTH AFRICA. (WE TRIED TO STRAIGHTEN HIM OUT.) ALGERIAN (OUCIF-THERE COLONIAL ISSUES MAN), CHAD (ALLINGUE PERMREP, AND ETHIOPIA (ACTING PERMREP TADESSE) WERE CORDIAL AS ALWAYS, AND MADE NO COMMENT CONCERNING THE VOTE. NIGERIA - COUNSELLOR YERO SAID SIMPLY, “WE HAVE NOTED YOUR VETO”. MALI - PERMREP TRAORE SAID,” WE KNOW IT WAS A DIFFICULT VOTE,” BUT THAT HE UNDERSTOOD OUR POSITION. VISITING MEMBER OF MALIAN MILITARY COMMITTEE, FILIFING SISSOKO, MADE NO COMMENT. UPPER VOLTA -PERMREP YAGUIBEU CRITICIZED US FOR VETO AND HIS COMMITTEE THREE MAN DESCRIBED IT AS “OVERKILL”. LESOTHO - PERM REP MOLAPO MADE NO COMMENT. SOMALIA MISOFF BIHI CHARACTERIZED UK AND FRENCH VETOES AS INTENDED TO HELP US SAVE FACE. ZAIRE - PERMREP MUTALE MADE NO REFERENCE TO VETO. MALAWI - PERMREP MBAYA MADE NO COMMENT ON VETO, BUT WAS ANXIOUS TO LEARN WHAT FOLLOW UP STEPS US, UK AND FRANCE INTEND TO MAKE WITH SAG. RWANDA - DECM BARARWEREKANA HAD NO COMMENT, PRESSING ON IN HIS CONVERSATION FOR US FAVORS FOR THE RWANDAN MISSION. MAURITANIA -PERM REP EL HASSEN CONGRATULATED AMB. SCALI ON HIS SPEECH. PAC - PAC REP SIBEKO, WHO HAD BEEN VIOLENT IN HIS CRITICISM DURING DEBATE, ALSO CONGRATULATED AMB. SCALI ON HIS SPEECH.

2. REACTIONS OF SOME EUROPEAN AND OTHER NON-AFRICAN MEMBERS ALSO ARE INTERESTING. THE FRENCH ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE RESULTS OF THEIR VETO. SPECIFICALLY, THEY FEAR THAT AFRICANS MAY SWING FULL SUPPORT BEHIND AUSTRALIAN RES IN FIRST COMMITTEE, CRITICIZING PACIFIC TESTING. AUSTRIAN REP LENNKH POINTED OUT THAT THE VOTE SHOWED THAT AUSTRIA DOES NOT ALWAYS SIMPLY VOTE WITH MAJORITY: RATHER IT “SOMETIMES VOTES ON PRINCIPLE”. AT HIS MID-DAY BRIEFING OCT 31, UK SPOKESMAN SAID VETOED RES “DOES NOT RESOLVE ANYTHING”. CENTRAL QUESTION WAS NOT EXPULSION BUT POLICIES CONCERNING NAMIBIA, SOUTHERN RHODESIA AND APARTHEID. ENTIRE UN HAS OBLIGATION TO INFLUENCE CHANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA. HE ADDED THAT UK, FRANCE, AND US HAD CONSULTED ON VETO, BUT THAT THERE WAS NO “VOTING PACT”. INDIAN MISOFF AHMAD WAS DISAPPOINTED, AND SAID VETO COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED HAD BOTH SIDES WORKED HARDER. HE BELIEVES SOME AFRICANS FEEL US SHOULD HAVE EXERTED MORE PRESSURE ON UK AND FRANCE TO COME AROUND AND SUPPORT AFRICAN EFFORTS FOR COMPROMISE.

3. COMMENT: IN SUM, IT DOES NOT LOOK AS THOUGH THE SKY FELL IN. MOST AFRICANS ARE NOW LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO TURN TO EFFECT CHANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA, NAMIBIA AND SOUTHERN RHODESIA. ALMOST ALL ASK FOR US, UK AND FRENCH PRESSURE ON SAG. MANY UNDERSTAND OUR VETO EVEN THOUGH THEY DO NOT SAY SO PUBLICLY. AT THIS JUNCTURE, VOTE LOSS FOR US ON OTHER ISSUES APPEARS ONLY MARGINAL, WERE INDIVIDUAL VOTERS TO BE LEFT TO THEIR OWN DESIGNS. BUT, GIVEN STRONG FLOOR LEADERSHIP WITHIN AFRICAN GROUP AND NON-ALIGNED, US VETO MAY BE EXPLOITED BY OTHERS TO BRING ALONG GROUP VOTING ANTITHETICAL TO OUR INTERESTS.
SCALI

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Confidential. Repeated to London, Paris, Pretoria, Dar es Salaam for Easum, Addis Ababa, and Capetown for the Embassy. Scali’s October 30 statement is published in Department of State Bulletin, December 2, 1974, pp. 775–778.↩
  2. The Mission reported reactions to the October 31 veto by the United States, Great Britain, and France of the resolution to expel the Republic of South Africa from the United Nations.↩