386

Department of External Affairs to Australian Delegation, United Nations

Cablegram 644 CANBERRA, 23 October 1947

IMMEDIATE SECRET

Your UN.1008, Security 509. [1] Indonesia.

According to United Nations broadcast monitored here resolution circulated by United States contains, in addition to two points you have mentioned, a third point requesting the Consular Commission, Batavia, to make its services available for arbitration purposes. Please confirm urgently.

2. United States resolution would seem to be attempt to sidestep findings of Consular Commission. It is rather late to observe, as United States is reported to have done, that two parties have not yet discussed interpretation of cease-fire order, and United States should not be given this opportunity to set aside clear findings of body set up by Security Council just because they are not acceptable to United States. Moreover Consular Commission has completed task for which it was constituted. Its perpetuation would result in its jurisdiction overlapping that of Three Power Committee. Security Council should act on lines suggested in paragraph 3 of our 612 [2], which would aim at ending immediate disorders and would leave Three Power Committee’s hands free to concentrate on fundamental issues rather than interpretation and implementation of cease-fire order. Kirby suggests that Committee’s work on finding solution would not be helped by its having to assume this responsibility which should be taken by Security Council.

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1 See Document 385, note 3.

2 Document 373.

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[AA:A1838/274, 854/10/4, iii]