1.
GV Delegates in Assembly and voting board (3 shots)
0.14

2.
SV Aykut Berk of Turkey speaks
0.51

3.
GV General Assembly
0.58

4.
SV Clarence Ferguson of USA speaks:
1.33

5.
SV Head of Assembly speaking in Spanish
1.52

6.
SV Voting board, counting (91 yes, 4 no, 26 abstain)
2.02


MR. AYKUT BERK OF TURKEY. "The Third Committee, Mr. President, recommends for adoption by the General Assembly the resolution to which is annexed the d???ft convention. Under the first operative paragraph the General Assembly will declare that it adopts and opens for signature and ratification the international convention on the suppression and punishment of the crime of apartheid. I should like to draw the attention also to operative paragraph two in which an appeal is made to all states to sign and ratify the convention as soon as possible."



MR. CLARENCF FREGUSON OF THE UNITED STATES. "If this draft convention were merely redundant and raised no basic problems of law and international usage we would certainly be in favour of it, given the widespread and thoroughly understandable desire to take some further effective action against the continuing institution of apartheid. Unfortunately however, certain provisions of this convention could be damaging to the very structure of international law, and even to the constitutional structure of the United Nations itself."




Initials AE/12.55 AE/1.10


TELERECORDING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The United Nations General Assembly on Friday (November 30) adopted, and called for signature and ratification by member countries of an international convention outlawing "the crime of apartheid."
The document, containing 19 articles, refers to the "practices of racial segregation and apartheid as practised in Southern Africa "as part of the "crime of apartheid."
The resolution was adopted by 91 votes to four, with 26 abstentions. The United States, Britain, South Africa and Portugal voted against the resolution which was called up from the Assembly's Social Committee.

The British delegate Mr. A.R.K. MacKenzie told the Assembly that Britain voted against the resolution only with the greatest reluctance. But the legal objections to the text of the convention required it. "I wish to make it abundantly clear that our negative vote does not in any way indicate support for the policy of apartheid which we wholeheartedly contemn."