232

Australian Delegation, United Nations, to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram UN739 NEW YORK, 20 November 1946, 2.55 a.m.

IMMEDIATE SECRET

Assembly 192.

1. Elections for the Security Council today resulted in the return of Belgium (43 votes) Colombia (A and Syria (45). India received 13 votes.

As instructed we voted for Belgium, Colombia and India.

2. The first ballot for the Economic and Social Council resulted in election of the United States (51 votes) Venezuela (46) and New Zealand (44). in accordance with Rule 84 [1] the President submitted Lebanon, Netherlands, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Byelorussia and Poland to a second ballot which resulted in the election of Lebanon (41). Third and fourth ballots were held between Netherlands, Turkey, Yugoslavia and Byelorussia without any obtaining required two-thirds majority and the President then proposed adjournment of ballotting for the fifth and sixth places until the next plenary session in order to allow delegations to reconsider their positions. Votes received in the fourth ballot were Netherlands 28, Turkey 29, Yugoslavia 19 and Byelorussia 28.

3. Australia voted consistently for New Zealand. [2], United States, Venezuela (which was the Latin-American nominee), Lebanon (which was the Arab state nominee), Turkey and the Netherlands.

4. Further instructions regarding voting for the fifth and sixth places are requested. [3]

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1 Under rule 84 of the General Assembly’s provisional rules of procedure, voting for the remaining three places was restricted to the candidates obtaining the greatest number of votes in the previous ballot, ‘the number of candidates being not more than mice as many as the places remaining to be filled’.

2 See Document 210 and note 2 thereto.

3 In cablegram UNY1051 of 21 November, the Australian delegation was instructed to use these two votes ‘with view to ensuring position of Australia next year’.

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[AA:A1068, A47/15/3]