The Limits of Trusteeship.
The conversation between Dr. Donges, recalled from his leader- ship of the South African delegation at the United Nations Assembly, and Dr. Malan this week may affect more than South Africa's future relationship to the United' Nations. It is important, at any rate, that the issue should be clearly under- stood. The fact that South Africa's native policy is distasteful to most people in this country is not a reason for assuming-that when there is a clash between South Africa and the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations on a question involving South African natives the Trusteeship. Council is of necessity right. In this particular case it is quite clearly in the wrong. In decid- ing to invite certain chiefs in South-West Africa to appear before it against South Africa's will, and in order to lodge complaints against South Africa, the Council was going completely outside the framework of the Charter. That it might properly do that with the agreement of both parties is arguable ; to do it in face of the strenuous protest of one of the parties is completely im- permissible. Though South-West Africa was a mandated territory under the League, South Africa has not put it under United Nations Trusteeship, and , was entitled not to if she so decided. Even under the old mandatory system, while the administering authority was compelled to forward to Geneva written petitions from a mandated territory, with or without observations of its own, the petitioners had no right of personal appearance before the Mandates' Committee. The trusteeship principle is thoroughly sound, and should be very valuable, but the Trusteeship Council, with its tendency to interfere where it has no right of interference (as recently in the case of Morocco) has not So far shown itself a body which inspires great confidence.
Previous page
