Vol. 186 No. 1
asked the Minister for External Affairs whether in view of the fact that the elected premier of the Congo, Mr. Lumumba, has been handed over to the control of Mr. Tshombe in Katanga, the Government intend to make any protest against the policy of the U.N. forces in the matter.
51.
asked the Minister for External Affairs whether the Government propose to take any steps at the U.N. or elsewhere to protest at the continued reinforcement by Belgians of Mr. Tshombe's armed forces.
52.
asked the Minister for External Affairs whether in view of the withdrawal of their armed contingents from the U.N. forces by the U.A.R., Guinea, Morocco and Indonesia and the refusal of India to supply replacements as a protest against the treatment of Mr. Lumumba and the policy of the U.N. in the matter, the Government intend to reconsider the Irish attitude to the continued retention of units of the Defence Forces in the U.N. contingent in the Congo.
I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take questions Nos. 50, 51 and 52 together.
In reply to the previous question I have commented on the Government's attitude to maintaining their contingent with the United Nations' force in the Congo.
The Government have at all times made it abundantly clear that they fully support the United Nations effort to prevent intervention in Congolese affairs, not only by Belgium but by all other foreign powers.
We fully support also the efforts being made by the Conciliation Commission, consisting of representatives of African and Asian States, which has been working in the Congo since the beginning of January. We hope that these efforts will result in bringing together, at a round table conference, all the principal Congolese leaders including Mr. Lumumba.
Mr. Lumumba who, like all other representatives of the Congolese people, was offered the protection of the United Nations forces, unfortunately decided of his own volition to abandon that protection—an action which led to his imprisonment by the Leopoldville authorities and his eventual transfer to Katanga.
The Secretary-General with the approval of the Advisory Committee, of which Ireland is a member, has pressed and is continuing to press for the release, or impartial trial, of Mr. Lumumba and the United Nations Conciliation Commission is also working towards this end.
As regards the continued reinforcement of Mr. Tshombe's armed forces, the following is an extract from the Secretary-General's statement to the Security Council in the matter on 1st February:—
"The immediate aim of the United Nations operation was to provide for the withdrawal of all Belgian combat troops. That target was met at the end of August. Later on, however, outside interference has reoccurred in new and subtler but not less dangerous forms. Although it is difficult to determine the extent of such interference in concrete terms and to substantiate the findings, its existence is an incontrovertible fact and its effects are strongly negative. Thus we know for certain that, both as regards arms and men, the military potential of various factions has been reinforced from the outside and that foreign mercenaries have been recruited on an increasing scale. Recent bombings speak their shocking language. This development may in some cases have come about without the active co-operation of this or that foreign Government, but it must be assumed that it has at least been tolerated by some foreign Governments.
Volunteers or sales of arms from private companies are time-honoured forms for military assistance maintaining a seeming neutrality for the governments most directly concerned. It is my firm conviction that such interference must be stopped, but I have not so far found a sufficient legal basis in the resolutions for effective counter-measures by the United Nations. Such counter-measures would not have been, or be, necessary if the Organisation had been or were now able to count on the loyal co-operation and assistance from all its member-governments. Such cooperation has not always been forthcoming. Is it too much to hope that at the present serious phase of the development the United Nations will be able to count on all its members so that they would not only avoid giving any military assistance themselves but, furthermore, take the necessary steps, which undoubtedly are within their power, to stop any such assistance in other forms, less accessible for counter-action through the United Nations and its organs?"
The Government fully supports the Secretary-General's statement.
The Minister said that the Secretary-General found no legal formula by which he could prevent the reinforcement by arms from outside states. Could the Minister say under what legal formula did Mr. Hammarskjoeld—in my view, rightly —prevent Mr. Lumumba's army receiving reinforcements from the Russians at an early stage of the Congo problem?
The Minister says it is hoped that the Conciliation Commission will be able to bring about a meeting of the leaders of the Congo under Mr. Kasavubu and that one of the persons at that conference will be Mr. Lumumba. In the course of his reply, the Minister further stated that he hoped, and had advocated, that Mr. Lumumba would be released and brought to trial. Could the Minister say how he can correlate the suggestion that Mr. Lumumba, the democratically-elected Premier of the Congo, should be released and brought to trial?
The Deputy is going into detail.
The Minister's reply was very lengthy. I am concluding now, Sir. If Mr. Lumumba is a leader who should be with the other leaders of the Congo, why should he be brought to trial and on what charges? Finally, could I ask the Minister whether he believes that the decision of the Casablanca Powers was an ill-considered decision and ill-founded.
The Deputy has asked a long series of Supplementary Questions. First, I did not say that Mr. Lumumba should be brought to trial. The Congolese situation is very serious.
I am sorry, but what exactly did the Minister say on the trial?
The Deputy will see in my reply what the Secretary General said and what the Advisory Committee said. Unfortunately, there is very little we can say here that is going to help the situation. If the Security Council cannot help the Secretary General to improve the situation in the Congo, we are all facing a very grave crisis, and the Congolese people are facing it. To improve the situation requires not only good-will on the part of the Security Council, the Secretary General and the states that have co-operated and given help to the Congolese, but it requires also the minimum contribution from the Congolese people and particularly from the Congolese leaders that they are prepared to make the compromises necessary to set up some sort of civil government that could keep order in the country.
The remainder of today's questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.
One further short question——
Order of Business.
Could I ask the Minister do our Government favour the release of Mr. Lumumba?
