Cablegram UN1062 NEW YORK, 1 November 1947, 11.50 p.m.
SECRET
Security 517.
Sub-committee on Indonesia met Saturday morning, reached agreement on text of resolution which was eventually carried at afternoon session of Council by 7 votes with Poland voting against.
Colombia, Syria and Soviet Union abstained. Text in immediately following cable. [1]
At the outset of the Council meeting this morning, agreed text was presented by United States. China spoke in support of the agreed text and said that it showed how conciliation can achieve results.
India while welcoming agreement expressed the belief that the resolution should not have ignored that main responsibility for breach of cease fire order lay with the Dutch.
The Soviet Union condemned the resolution saying its only improvement on United States draft [2] was deletion of the word ‘substantial’, stated resolution did not touch on central problem of cessation of hostilities.
We supported resolution and suggested that its text and all verbatim records should be conveyed to Committee of Three, Consular Commission and parties to dispute. Colombia expressed dissatisfaction maintaining that resolution indicated that the Council could not obtain observance of its earlier proposals and therefore competence of Council was in question.
At this stage Council adjourned for lunch.
On resumption Soviet Union argued that question of Council’s jurisdiction had already been settled.
When it appeared as though the whole question of jurisdiction was being raised again, the Chairman ruled the discussion out of order.
A long procedural discussion then took place on whether Polish [3] or subcommittee resolution should be voted first. Poland eventually agreed to vote being taken on agreed sub-committee draft. Colombia proposed various amendments, namely [omission of] from ‘indicating’ in first paragraph to end of second paragraph and insert at end of second last paragraph ‘which the Security Council expects to see fully and faithfully complied with by the Netherlands Government and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia’.
We supported Colombian amendments but it received only five votes and was therefore defeated.
Resolution was then put to vote with result as above.
Polish resolution was then put to vote. Poland and Soviet Union voted for; United Kingdom, United States, France and Belgium voted against; Australia, Colombia, Brazil, China and Syria abstained.
Council then adjourned.
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1 Document 402.
2 See Documents 387 and 394.
3 See Document 397.
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[AA:A1838/283, 403/3/1/1/, xii]