Cablegram UN506 NEW YORK, 7 October 1946, 8.30 p.m.
SECRET
Assembly 24.
1. The following comments are offered on the agenda item regarding new members. This item will be raised in report by the Security Council containing recommendation for admission of Afghanistan, Sweden and Iceland and summary of Security Council proceedings.
The Soviet will probably attempt to limit discussion in Committee No. 1 to acceptance of the Council’s recommendation but it is clearly open to the Assembly to discuss all parts of the report including rejected applications, the grounds on which Russia exercised veto [1], and procedures for admission of new members.
It would also be theoretically possible for the Assembly to pass a resolution asking the Security Council to reconsider any or all of the rejected applications.
2. The Australian line in Security Council has been previously reported to you. [2] We submit that our Delegation would require instructions on- (a) Whether Australia will raise the general question of procedure under Article 4 giving initiative to the Assembly and if so, how our objective can be achieved. One method might be to request the Security Council’s Committee of Experts to meet the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Procedures to work out rules acceptable to both organisations. We are still in a minority of one in the Security Council regarding the procedure of admission and even if we could induce the Assembly to accept a resolution asserting Assembly initiative, that resolution alone would not change the procedure.
(b) Whether we should support any move to ask the Council to reconsider rejected applications and if so which applications.
(c) Whether we should use the occasion to criticize the Soviet application of veto or reserve this example for use in general veto debate.
(d) Whether we should vote to accept the recommendation for Afghanistan, Sweden and Iceland.
3. Hitherto on instructions we have abstained from all votes and reserved our position completely.
4. If it is intended to make an issue in the Assembly of the Australian move on correct procedure for admission, the Mission would appreciate early advice with a view to making soundings.
_
1 See Document 94.
2 See Document 92.
_
[AA:A1067, M46/1/5]