America Deserts Its Allies
SCHNABEL, OSCAR
Spaak's UN Compromise AMERICA DESERTS ITS ALLIES By Oscar Schnabel OSCAR SCHNABEL served as Austrian Consul General in Rotterdam. ON November 24, at the United Nations General Assembly, the...
...Four Latin American countries, including Brazil, voted for the Spaak amendment...
...Nationalist China...
...it offered a superb opportunity to repair some of the damage done by Washington's stand against Anglo-French action in Suez...
...The other alternative was to back the amendment offered by Foreign Minister Paul-Henri Spaak of Belgium, which would have replaced the above with the following: "Notes that, according to information that has been received, one-third of the French forces have been withdrawn, the United Kingdom Government has decided to withdraw one infantry battalion immediately and Israel has withdrawn a part of its troops, and considers that France, the United Kingdom and Israel should expedite the application of the resolutions of 2 and 7 November in the spirit in which they were adopted, particularly with regard to the functions vested in the United Nations forces...
...These called for Israel's withdrawal behind the 1949 armistice lines, and for the removal of Anglo-French forces from Egyptian territory...
...backed it, many other abstainers probably would have done likewise...
...not only deepened the existing rift but also extended it to its other allies...
...By isolating itself from all its NATO allies and further humiliating England and France by again lining up with the Soviet Union, the U.S...
...Thailand and, of course, Australia and New Zealand...
...ON November 24, at the United Nations General Assembly, the United States had to make a crucial decision...
...Thus the U.S...
...The U.S...
...This was particularly tragic since the Spaak amendment had the approval of all other North Atlantic Treaty Organization members...
...The Spaak amendment was defeated by a minority vote...
...So did Turkey...
...had the U.S...
...cut itself off from its oldest, best allies in pursuit of the approval of neutrals and foes...
...As Canada's Lester Pearson noted, had the original resolution been adopted with Spaak's amendment it would have been more valuable than the accepted wording—which even U.S...
...chose to support the Asian-African version...
...Notes with regret that, according to the communications received by the Secretary General, two-thirds of the French forces remain, all the United Kingdom forces remain although it has been announced that arrangements are being made for the withdrawal of one battalion, and no Israel forces have been withdrawn behind the armistice lines although a considerable time has elapsed since the adoption of the relevant General Assembly resolution...
...Reiterates its call to France, Israel and the United Kingdom to comply forthwith with resolutions 997 (ES-I) and 1002 (ES-I...
...It could support an Asian-African-sponsored resolution which read in part: "1...
...delegate Henry Cabot Lodge termed "unnecessary...
Vol. 39 • December 1956 • No. 50
