1410610401

*Tbc Ccarau&tioci bccn appoinud hy the General Assembly ot the United Nations with instruc-tions to awerum tl*c wishes and tbc be*t means of promorinę the wdurc of the inhabiuntt of Eritrea. and to report to the General Asscmbły with propos-aU for the futurę ol Eńtrea.

"In cartymg out its rcsponsibiłmcs, the Commiwoo will asccrtaan ah the rcta/int facu and will conwlt the preseiu Adminktering Power, othrr Govem-ments. and represenutim of the popubtion, itwaid-ingsuchmmofuics.organiiations andindisidualsas ic may dcm necessary. The Commission will takt into acccrjns the %iewj of che sarious racial. rthciou* and political groupt of Eritrea.

•The Commission bas, iheretocc, decided to mvuc any indńidual oc any group of individuals froen acnong the mhabitantt of Eńtrea who so destte to send, as soon as poisibk and not later chan 2$ February 1950, to the Commission at ks hcadquar-ters m Asmara any wrinen sutensent rclattng to the furure status of Eritrea.

"Such staiements may, if »t is dcśired, give the rumes of rcpresenutńfs whom the Commission might in-vńe for orał bearings. The Comnussion may. in the futurę, issue funhet tnviuf iont wkh regard to the consuludoos which it may desire to hołd wih the inhabitams of Entrca".

(b) Request that the British Admińistration isu* a procUroation

30. At the 12diand13ihmeetingsoftheCommis-Sion, the represcntaiives of a political group requested guarantees that aU persons should bc aliowed to appear freely before the Commiinon, and an alkgatioo. sub-sequcntly denied by the persons concenscd, was also madę that the kader of the parties of the group had been prerented froro appearing by the Administraboo. The following resolutioo was adopted by the Commission at ks I5th meeting, held on 25 February 1950; 29/

•The Urtiud Satiom Commbuon foc Eritrea

"Deeidei

"That in order to avoid all l&clihood of cenain alkginons as madę yesterday before the Cocwtm* sion, the Commission reąums the British Admini-stracion tn Eritrea to issuc a procUroation to the populaiion that all persons are frcc to expr rts to the Commission their views about the futurę of Eritrea, and that any soch cxpressions wiK noc render them liable to disapprobaoon of any kind on the part of the Admmistration. and :.*u: thty will rtttńt all possible protcvtiwv".

31.    A krer dand 28 February 1**0 30/ was ad* drewed by the Admmistering Authorit* to tbc Trinopal Sectctary togethrr with the fotowing draft nockę to the publK:

•The Chief Administrator wishes to emphasire that all persons rtsidem m Eritcca enjoy the utmost freedom to cxp«exs to the Uiiicd Nations Commis-sion thcif vicws about the futurę of Eritrea, and that they will be afforded all possible protcction by the Adminktration tn the c\prcssion of such vicws both at the time and subseqocntly donnę the continuince of the Brktsh Admimstration. He wilhes also to meruion that, because of the hmned timc availabk to the Commission, and the imporuncc of the wotk on which they arc engaged, aU siatcmems madę should be reloant to the terms of rtferencc of the Comnussion and should. furthermore, when deabng wich mactcrs of faa only consist of such -Information as can be subteantiated. He rcgieti to obsem that many sutemems have been madę in public to the Commission which are unerue aodcan bc of no value • to the Commission in their difhcuU tatk".

The Commission, at its I8th meeting, held on 3 March 1950, looknotcoftfce British cocnmumcatson. 31/

32.    The Admifustcting Authority pubhshed the proclamation in the Erittean Ptess on 19 March 1950. •

(e) Hearings and vkits 32/

33.    Tne Commission heard rcpreseiuathes of the various political parties, of commcKul and other organi-zations, of the Copcic Church ar.d Mosiem religious per sona ges, at Asmara. It visitcd the ocher ituin ccntres of Eńtrea and toured the countryside, either as a whok oc in rwo field groupt, and held sixty-four hearings ar thirry-seren ccntres with the local representatiyes of the inhabitams. Where possible, the Commission inspected manufacturing and other esublishments of intecest.

(d) Resolurion of thinks to the peopk of Eńtrea

34.    Tnc Commission, at its 42nd meeting, held on 6 April 1950, adopted the followiog resolurion: 33/

*7hc lIrtUid Hatiorn Contmituo* for EntrcJ

"RcfoJm

191 A/ACUfRJS.

30T A/ACJ4^-eO.

ji/ .vacwar.)I    *•

32/ Su B«nc»(% 17    11. Map 2 ot thh report {not

3W A/ACM^.175.

"To thank tlw proplr o( Łeitre., for their hospnality and co-op.-r arion with che Conuoitoion an J foc their commcodaSc condoct at the hcanoj:* m Asmara as wdl as in the field, thus cootnhuting larpely tow ards the completion of its task in thb country".

Jccfibn IV. Consutuhbm wirt* th< Goivr'«mfufj of Eęypt, Eshiopia. F/awce. luty a*td rfv Unt:ed Kt^dom

(a)    (nnution to the Gorcrnmentt of Eg>pt. Ethiopia. France, luty and the UnitcJ Kinędoa

35. Pursuant to General As>vmh!y resolurion 289 A (IV), section C, the Commission decided to immc the Governmcnts of Eg>pt. Ethiopia. France, haly and the United Kingdom ro cxpress theif vicw* conccrning che futurę of Eritrea and to providc such mformation.as thc>-mighc belkvc useful to che Commission. Suuabte ktters werc addresseJ to these    on 3 March 1950

in which it was trsdicated that the Commission would be prepared. pwided the rcspecthe CoYemmcms so dc-sired, to engage in direct eonsultations with each of them:

|j) At Addts A baba duriog the fim wcek of April Oener to&hiopia);

ib) AtCairo duńrgthctccondwrekof ApfillkncrtoEgypc); (e) At Romę dunng the third wcek of April (ktttr to Ha ly); (d) Durmg tląc fńu three wceks of April at a limę and pUcc found to bc murually comentem tkners to France ind to ihc United Kiogdom).

The programme of woek was subse^uenrly modified and the changed dites for the ńsńs wrre later communi-cated to ihe respcctis^ Gosemments.

(b)    Consulutions with the Gm*errwr.rnt of the United Kingdom

38. The following kner. dated 24 February 1050, 34/ was addmsed to the Pńncipal Secreury by tiie Special Liaison Officer of the British Administration-Eritrea to the Commission:

"1 harc, as agreed bctwccn us, consulted my Gor-emment ini'ormally as to the nunner in which they wish, as an interested Gosemsnent, to place their *icws before the Commission and l hare been in-formed that they arc quitc willoig to present them ^ritten form to che Commission herc tn Asmara, proridcd that those riewł are not publtshcd so loog is the Commission is actuilly in this territory. They would w\sh of coursc co be in a posicion to answer *ny questions upon their vkws and to submit any ^uppkmentary orał testimony at a later stage, but to *^void complications śt would be preferablc if thń could bc drW>xd until the Commiision has

writren its report, whnh I unJcrsrand will takc place in Ckneva.

•perhaps you would kt mc knowwhai the rvcxi step should hc*.

37.    The Commission. ar its 16rh meeting. held on 28 Fehnsary 1950. itloptedihc Mowuk rcsolution: 35/

•Consiikting tht: lettcr ftom the’ Special Luison Officer. B.A.E.. dated 24 Fcbruatr 1950.

"The UiutcJ Sjliont Co"9”tititon Jor Etarej

•Decidei to mform the British Adminiuratioo that the Commission will gbJ> aceept *d>e view s of the United Kingdom Gmernment in wrinen form here in Asmara, and

“Agrrei not to publish tbese riews so loog as the

Commission is sctualy in this icrrr.oo'"*

•

38.    The Special Liaison Officer. British Adnims-

tijnon-Entrea, transmined to the Cbmmtsason a^Su^mert o: tbc Yitws of His Majcsry*! Gorcrnment regarding the disposil o i Eritrea laśd before the United Nations Com-mnsion foc Eritrea at Asmara on 18 March 1950". 38/ .    39. Further. the Commission, donnę its 50Hi mect-

mg. held on 28 April m Gencva. heard the rtprtsenrarive o: the United Kingdom Govcr nment, Mr. Frank £. 5uf-ford, Special Liaison Officer. 37/

(cl Comulcacions wich the Govemmen: of Ethiopia

. ^0. The Commission, at iff 24 meeting. Sełd on 13 March 1950, adopted the foMowing resolurion: 31/

"The United Nations Commisiiou for Eńtrea ~Deódcs

"To %-isit soch odver towns and placcs in Ethiopia besides Addis Ahaba as can be comremcntłr arranged in comultation with the Ethiopaan GoYemmcnt".

41. The Commission funher dneussed the matter of its coosuUatioos with the Govemment of, and its Yisit i * Etłuopu ac ks 29th. 30th, 3 lsx, 34ch, 3 8th, 37ih and 42nd meetings and it adopted s-arious resoluńons. 39/ In dus connexion, a number of communicitkw 40/ wtre reaśstd from the Goecmmeiw of Eih>opu, and the Commission at hs

ya a/aC3**.I2.

35/ A/AC3^K4J.

W A/ACHU.I* (anro 4 of iKń aport |ao« trptoJnr J hcrell. 37/ A/ACJi^JO, Pin I(secanm 5 ofcX<ireport(«r.tep«o<iuccJ btrclk

31/ A/AC34/R.7X

}9ł A/AC-34/g.l |f, AMC34*fc.122, A/ACM^SR.34

4Df A/AC34.1L7S. A/ACJ**.**. A/ACJAHIII, A/ACJ44L12I.

A/AC.lC/H.lSi, A/AC..-40LI5I.

Documcnt 4

nr. US*mo NATIONS AND T>U INDCfCNDkNUSJr £UTRL\