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Australian Delegation, United Nations, to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram UN938 NEW YORK, 1 December 1949, 7.45 p.m.

IMMEDIATE RESTRICTED

INDONESIA

Meeting of Delhi Group this evening discussed the draft resolution for Joint Sponsorship. General agreement on welcoming the fact that agreement has been reached and looking forward to establishment of United States of Indonesia. Group also desires retention of the item on the agenda of the Fifth Session and Australia was the only one urging that it be removed altogether from the agenda. India would be agreeable to this course too provided Indonesia concurred. However, Palar took a strong line today in favour of retention and this has great influence on the group. We feel that retention will seem a rebuff to the Dutch and may endanger favourable action in the Netherlands Parliament.

Retention was opposed by U.S.A. and others. Our feeling is not to join in any resolution retaining the item on the agenda, particularly as the matter can be raised again if necessary next year by any member. The group meets again tomorrow morning and we would appreciate your views before 9 a.m. 2nd December, New York time. [1]

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1 The Department of External Affairs replied on 2 December that the Australian Delegation should continue trying to dissuade Palar and the Delhi group from retaining the item on the General Assembly agenda for the following year but that, if it was not successful, the Delegation should join the Delhi group in sponsoring the resolution. In a cablegram dispatched on 3 December the Australian Delegation reported that Palar and the Delhi group had accepted the deletion of the item from the following year’s General Assembly agenda.

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[AA : A1838, 403/3/1/1, xxvii]