United Nations: New Mandate

Day after day the Security Council debate droned on in search of a new mandate to help U.N. Secretary-General U Thant cope with the Congo mess.

U.S. Delegate Adlai Stevenson won wide support for his proposal to strengthen both U Thant and the Congolese central government in the struggle against all rebels and secessionists still stirring trouble in the Congo. But the Soviet Union’s Valerian Zorin was anxious to protect one of the worst troublemakers, Red-backed Antoine Gizenga of Eastern province; tossing two rapid-fire vetoes, Russia’s Zorin declined to approve any measure not directed exclusively against anti-Communist Moise Tshombe of Katanga. To prevent total deadlock and inaction, Stevenson reluctantly gave U.S. approval to the narrower, Soviet-favored proposal.

It was Burma’s U Thant himself who took a broader line. He promised to clear out Tshombe’s white soldiers (“professional adventurers who fight and kill for money”). He added: “The U.N. position, it seems to me, is automatically against all armed activities against the central government and against secessionist forces.” As Stevenson’s original amendment urged, U Thant pluckily proposed that the Congolese army be reorganized and retrained; this would put the troops into the hands of the central government—and out of the hands of such rebels as Gizenga.