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The Rhodesian Question at the United Nations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 May 2009

J. Leo Cefkin
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Extract

On December 16, 1966, the Security Council held its 1340th meeting and adopted its 232nd resolution. It was a historic resolution. For the first time the Security Council voted to impose sanctions under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter aimed at ending the rebellion against the United Kingdom by the Ian Smith regime in Rhodesia. Acting in accordance with Article 39, the Council determined that the situation in Rhodesia constituted “a threat to international peace and security,” and, under Article 41, it decided that all Member States of the United Nations must apply sanctions to bar the importation of a number of basic Rhodesian exports.

Type
Articles
Information
International Organization , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , Summer 1968 , pp. 649 - 669
Copyright
Copyright © The IO Foundation 1968

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References

1 Reliable population figures have not been published since the unilateral declaration of independence (UDI). Voter registration figures show a decrease in “A” roll registration from 94,080 in 1964 to 82,294 in 1967. A likely explanation for this decrease is the emigration of Europeans. (Parliamentary Debates Official Report [Salisbury: The Government Printer, 05 23, 1967], pp. 1397–1398.)Google Scholar In the parliamentary debates for May 31, 1967, p. 1792 of the Official Report, P. E. Chikogo, MP, uses th e figure 200,600 Europeans and 4,500,000 Africans.

2 In 1962 ZAPU was the only nationalist party. In 1963 it was split and one faction emerged as ZANU, a rival nationalist organization.

3 Originally the Special Committee of Seventeen, the body was expanded to 24 by General Assembly Resolution 1810 (XVII), adopted December 17, 1962, by a vote of 101 to none, with 4 abstentions.

4 Burma, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Iraq, Mali, Morocco, the Philippines, the United Arab Republic, and Yugoslavia.

5 Adopted as General Assembly Resolution 1745 (XVI), February 23, 1962, by a vote of 57 to 21, with 24 abstentions.

6 General Assembly Resolution 1654 (XVI), November 27, 1961, adopted by a vote of 97 to none, with 4 abstentions.

7 Adopted December 14, i960, by a vote of 89 to none, with 9 abstentions.

8 The Indian delegate asserted that appointment by the President would remove the Special Committee from the context of the Cold War. (General Assembly Official Records [16th session], 1058th plenary meeting, 11 20, 1961, p. 713.)Google Scholar Mongi Slim, President of the sixteenth session, appointed Australia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Madagascar, Mali, Poland, the Soviet Union, Syria, Tan-ganyika, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia. A year later Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, as President of the seventieth session, added Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. Cambodia subsequently withdrew from the Committee and was replaced by Afghanistan.

9 SeeCollier, Gershon, Ambassador of Sierra Leone to the UN, in Swift, Richard N., ed., Annual Review of United Nations Affairs: 1964–1965 (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y: Oceana Publications, 1966), pp. 43–44Google Scholar.

10 UN Document A/5238, p. 46.

11 General Assembly Resolution 1745 (XVI), February 23, 1962.

12 UN Document A/5238, p. 138.

13 General Assembly Resolution 1747 (XVI), June 28, 1962, adopted by a vote of 73 to 1, with 27 abstentions. (The United Kingdom and Portugal did not participate in the vote.)

14 Soudiern Rhodesia had not been included in the list of non-self-governing territories enumerated by the General Assembly in Resolution 66 (1), December 14, 1946.

15 Southern Rhodesia's status as a “self-governing colony” was anomalous because it had not taken the final step to full independence but had remained in the “twilight zone” between dependence and independence. London described its relations with the territory as essentially diplomatic, not executive. (UN Document A/AC.109/L.53, May 9, 1963; and General Assembly Official Records … Fourth Committee [17th session], 1360th meeting, 10 25, 1962, pp. 196–200.)Google Scholar

16 See Annex, “Factors which should be taken into account in deciding whether a Territory is or is not a Territory whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self government.”

17 The United Kingdom representative nevertheless insisted that the local authorities of these states provided the necessary data and voiced no objection to its transmission.

18 General Assembly Resolution 1760 (XVII), October 31, 1962; and UN Document A/AC.109/112, resolution adopted by the Special Committee, April 22, 1965.

19 General Assembly Resolution 1760 (XVII).

20 Zimbabwe is the name adopted by African nationalists to replace the name Rhodesia because of the imperialist overtones of the latter.

21 General Assembly Resolutions 2012 (XX), October 12, 1965, and 2022 (XX), November 5, 1965.

22 Sir Edgar Whitehead, Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia, appeared before die Fourdi Committee as a member of the United Kingdom delegation on October 30, 1962. His party was subsequendy defeated in the elections of December 14, 1962.

23 UN Document A/AC.109/112, paragraph 9.

24 Security Council Official Records (18th year), 1068th meeting, September 12, 1963, p. 2.

25 Security CouncilOfficial Records (18th year), 1066th meeting, 09 10, 1963, pp. 2–13Google Scholar. The governments involved were those of the Federation, Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland.

26 Security CouncilOfficial Records (18th year), 1069th meeting, 09 13, 1963, p. 14Google Scholar.

27 Security Council Resolution 202 (1965), May 6, 1965.

28 See the record of negotiations inSouthern Rhodesia: Documents relating to the negotiations between the United Kingdom and Southern Rhodesian Governments, November 1963-November 1965 (Cmnd. 2807) (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 11 1965)Google Scholar. The United Nations is hardly mentioned.

29 Ibid., pp. 82–83.

30 General Assembly Resolution 2024 (XX), November 11, 1965.

31 Resolution adopted by th e Special Committee, April 21, 1966 (UN Document A/AC.109/158, paragraph 4).

32 Ibid., paragraph 3.

33 General Assembly Resolutions 2138 (XXI), October 22, 1966, and 2151 (XXI), November 17, 1966.

34 General Assembly Resolution 2151 (XXI).

35 Ibid.

36 Ibid.

37 For the text of the resolution, adopted on April 22, 1965, see UN Document A/AC.109/112, paragraph 9.

38 The subcommittee's membership included Tanzania (chairman), Denmark, Ethiopia, Mali, the Soviet Union, Syria, Tunisia, and Yugoslavia.

39 UN Document A/6300/Add. I (Part II), October 7, 1966, Appendix II.

40 Resolution adopted by the Special Committee on September 29, 1966, contained in UN Document A/6300/Add.I (Part II), p. 8.

41 Ibid., pp. 8–9.

42 Ibid., pp. 3–4.

43 Security Council Resolution 216 (1965), November 12, 1965. For the Council's discussions at this time see Security Council Official Records (20th year), I257th–126sth meetings, November 12-Novcm-ber 20, 1965.

44 Security Council Resolution 217 (1965), adopted on November 20 with only France abstaining.

45 Details concerning Smith's plan to beat oil sanctions were revealed byThe Sunday Times (London), 04 14, 1966Google Scholar, in its “Insight” column.

46 Security Council consideration of this situation is reviewed inMezerik, A. G., ed., “Rhodesia and the United Nations,” International Review Service, 1966 (Vol. 12, No. 89)Google Scholar. For the Council's debates see Security Council Official Records (21st year), I276th–1285th meetings, April 9-May 23, 1966.

47 Security Council Resolution 221 (1966), adopted April 9, 1966, by 10 in favor, none opposed, with 5 abstaining.

48 Mali-Nigeria-Uganda amendments (UN Document S/7243). Voting for die amendments were: Bulgaria, Jordan, Mali, Nigeria, the Soviet Union, and Uganda. Abstaining were: Argentina, China, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United States, and Uruguay. The French position denied any UN responsibility in the matter.

49 Rhodesia, Documents Relating to Proposals for a Settlement, 1066 (Cmnd. 3171) (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 12 1966), p. 4Google Scholar. British initiatives for discussion in February and March were not taken up by Mr. Smith.

50 UN Document S/7285 and Add.1–2.

51 Security Council Official Records (21st year), 1285th meeting, May 23, 1966. The vote on the draft resolution was 6 in favor, 1 opposed, with 8 abstentions.

52 UN Document A/AC.109/L.393, pp. 26–27.

53 Ibid.

54 Rhodesia, Documents Relating to Proposals for a Settlement, 1966, p. 3Google Scholar:

(1) The principle and intention of unimpeded progress to majority rule, already enshrined in the 1961 Constitution, would have to be maintained and guaranteed.

(2) There would also have to be guarantees against retrogressive amendment of the Constitution.

(3) There would have to be immediate improvement in the political status of the African population.

(4) There would have to be progress towards ending racial discrimination.

(5) The British Government would need to be satisfied that any basis proposed for independence was acceptable to die people of Rhodesia as a whole.

(6) It would be necessary to ensure that, regardless of race, there was no oppression of majority by minority or of minority by majority.

55 Security Council Resolution 232 (1966), adopted December 16 without opposition but with 4 abstentions.

56 This was rejected as premature, with the implication that it might be considered by the Council at a later time if necessary. See Security Council Official Records (21st year), 1333rd–134Oth meetings, December 12–16, 1966.

57 Statement reproduced in UN Document A/6300/Add.I (Part I).

58 UN Document 8/7781, Annex 1.

59 UN Document S/7781. See also UN Document S/7778/Add.I–4; and UN Document S/7783.

60 UN Document S/7735/Rev.I, February 13, 1967.

61 See Fenwick, C. G., editorial comment, “When is There a Threat to Peace?-Rhodesia,” American Journal of International Law, 07 1967 (Vol. 61, No. 3), pp. 753–755CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Acheson, Dean, “Acheson: Action Against Rhodesia Illegal,” The Sunday Denver Post, 05 28, 1967, p. 9Google Scholar; and Marshall, Charles Burton, Crisis Over Rhodesia: A Skeptical View (Baltimore, Md: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1967)Google Scholar.

62 Fenwick, , American Journal of International Law, Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 753–755CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

63 Ibid; Acheson, The Sunday Denver Post; and Marshall.

64 Stavropoulos, Constantin A., “The Practice of Voluntary Abstentions by Permanent Members of the Security Council under Article 27, Paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations,” American Journal of International Law, 07 1967 (Vol. 61, No. 3), pp. 737–752CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

65 Statement of Clifford DuPont, Officer Administering the Government, Rhodesia Herald, 08 18, 1967, p. 1Google Scholar.

66 ZANU from Peking and ZAPU from Moscow and the East European states.

67 Bowman, Larry W., “Rhodesia Since UDI,” Africa Report, 02 1967 (Vol. 12, No. 2), pp.5–13Google Scholar. This article provides a perceptive on-the-spot assessment.

68 The Sunday Times (London), “Insight” column, August 27 and September 3, 1967. The articles cite details concerning means used to evade sanctions.