asked the Minister for External Affairs whether Ireland supported, abstained on or opposed the recent proposal made by the African Nations that the UN General Assembly should include the question of Southern Rhodesia on the agenda of their recently resumed session.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - UNO and Southern Rhodesia.
30.
We voted against reversing the decision taken by the General Assembly on the 23rd day of February last that the Resumed Session which opened on 7th June should deal exclusively with the question of Ruanda-Urundi. Apart from considerations of the orderly and efficient conduct of the business of the United Nations and the fact that decisions on the critically urgent problem of Ruanda-Urundi must be taken before the 1st July if they are to be effective, we have also in mind that the question of Southern Rhodesia has nothing like the same urgency and could, in our opinion, be more appropriately and fruitfully dealt with at the Session of the General Assembly which is to open early in September.
Would the Minister not agree that when the African nations made the plea for immediate consideration they did it on very sound grounds? Might I ask on what grounds the Minister based his decision to defer?
I have told the Deputy the grounds. If he wants to see the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Ireland he can see it in the Library. The speech was made on 12th June.