1410610415

Unucd Nukws. In oaf opinioo. scpauoon of the Western Province from iKc rrst oi Eritrei will rocin the ffagmcncitroft of the MusLm popobtion and will not be xn the intern:* of the coutuo • We should point out chat, ia accordancc with this sotuesoo, as pcoposed, it rs dcuccd to anncx to Eihiopia the jwnnce covcring that part of the coast bot of the Red Sea, where suong romance and tren hostibcy towards that country prcvaiU among the great nuioniy of the inhabitants. In order to achieve the welkbcing of the populacioo of Emie*. the unity of the territory must be maintained. The solution co the problem of the dńposal of Lritrea must therefore be • single oor and must apply to the whole country.

199.    The Muslim Lcaguc of the Western Prortnce. whose importance, cven in the ody pcoyincc in which it c»sn, b relauve)y smali, dedared ieself In favour of placing the Western Provir.ee under United Nations trus-trrship, irtcspective of the solution applied to the rcmam-der of the country. A separate Western Proyince will have no means of communicaóon with the sea, as the ody railway linę and the main road which connect it with the port of Massawa pass through the htghlands. Soch a proposidon would not be co the benefk of the territory, and U would elear ly be against the desires of the great majoriry of the population of the whole territory in generał and of that peovince in particular.

200.    Screral partics havc dedared thcmtelves in favour of the anoexatioo of Erkrca to Eihiopia. The Unionist Party it the most import* nt of this group. 79/

201.    We have alrcady mentioned the partkipation of the Coptic Church in favour of annejcation, as well as the pan pUyed by terroriun in support of that poScy.

202.    The population of the plateau ha* a ccrtiin afhnicy with one of the Eihiopian provinccs, narody, the Tigre Pi ovir.ee. In that part of E/itiea, as in Tigrć, the Tigrinya language is spoken, but this affimty berween a part of Eihiopia and a part of Eritrca is not sufhcicr.: to juscify the absorprion of Entrca by Eihiopia. This lan-guage, on che ocher hand, is not spoken through out Eritrca, nor is it spoken throughout Erfcóopu. Ncither is it the offkial language of that country. No important and generał affmiry cjdsts bctwccn Eihiopia and Eritrca. On the eonu ary. the inhabitants bcar resentmen: and hosd* •ty towar ds Etlnopta.

205. The ceooonsic. cthmc, hisiorical and security rcasoos, $0/ together with others a J.anced in favout of anncaaoon. arc not Staffie irnf for us to rccommend this solution to the United Nanons, nor arr we convinccd that the majofity of the population wishes it, or that this would be the best course for promoting the weUare of che inhabitants.

204. In our tour throughout Eritrca. we saw that a largc ruamber of pcople wtre oppowd to the anncxaiion of the territory to Ethiopta and in favoor of independence. We were impressed by the way in which tbese pcoplc behavtd, as w dl as by the courtgr and firmness with which they eapressed their news, nocwithstaoding the risks to which they often exposed themsehrs. Therc can be no doubt that, «n the castem and western iowiands. the great mifority of the population is in favour of independence and is stroogly opposcd to any idea ot annexauon or partition of the territory. AU ow the country we met groups that were in farour of iodc-pcndcncc, partkularly among the Muslims, but it is evident that theii greatest strengih is in the lowlands. SI/ 205. AU peoplcs have the right to be frcc The Eiitceans havc the right to independence, sińce a majono of the population ctaims m and ihcrc are no juridkal rcascr.s jusrifying any other procedurę. Under preseru condirioos therc is nothing to yustify a different solution for this territory. Independence docs noc cxdude sub* seąucnt decisions taken m a demoaatic way by the people of Eritrca to link their country in the form of confedera-tioq or federation, or cvcn of uncondkional union wnh Eihiopia, wben ic happencd to be the unmisiakable w*sh of the pcople, should the occasion arise. Rut that is nc: the case at prcsenc and ic a not possible to tie the fate of one country to that of another in adrancc and irrevoca-My, when a large part of ihc population rcfecu that solution and dcmands independence. 12/

79/ Tbt    om of foluu* ueilei «• Ui ihe /oW*r. T>#

Scrirury.Gowu! ot iar Urucca.it Pstry. Mr. Trdb gaoaa, a&feori thii ńx Łgurcs *Wi he had tapptod ttUtśng io the    oi ba

pam »(t« juccuraie and that the Muitan pcpulaoat oi the wesura lo*iiadt hsd (tatcJ io tw^on union w*h E&hopia. Wah rr^ard co the fatum lo^isndi. hx pfeirrred not io p«f a cjtfgoncal u^j utai the fMtttafi had becn stud^d iunher bj his sany. Ou deegauoa took care to fuj om the cjocbi of the MwiLsu k lo.-^ol this party. Proca «ł^t *t efctemd in «hf PifSd irips, we oociced Uat. m aU the big ptftfringt wMk the party tcesented *o ut io the hthlands, w MaiUmi mt tery few. In (he    at the Unionist gasheio^i,

the mul oaeoher ton meerded • haiadhil of pmor.t aod r*na amon) thrm Mosbm «vn coosp^wous by thr«/ imali nuobea In wder co dore ihe Coermwuon. tX« party irscrted io many malortctkoa. One soch uKeh caioe to l*ht «as throuf> the aneu uf socr< Coptic O.fatua lufponrn of ihe Unionśu Party Asgaiiied ai Muslims. At fome «her pUces rtpreaenothti who carnc io suppoit the Umooua cause were foood to be bogas. Th« Cecacnnsion ftceńtd numerojs coopUinu oi topcrsonauon ty Copu as MusUma at Umuu gaU** eringt.

t0/ Set paf*sr»ph* 213 21 li 152 2 SŁ

11/ TH eMfgonpn oł falu j- uuH, io s<U *W /oflouwr TW ouarncal soengshof me pop^UcionaipwnH noccaaa. T1»cTowera

sopr^ed by the Bntiah Aóc*MitM>oa show that nearly ha U iM pop*Uuoo ci Emira it MuaUn and a buk oodec hali as Copoc—ehe diiUn+ć* berwrea ihe rwo brug a few thoaaandc. Theae popuUi^n figuect, howrr. are noc baacd on any cen** »nd cannot be reprdcd as caurrfty auunu. The hCuakn League cUinu chac the cool MuaWn popuUuon oi Ciitcra n >0 per ceni and that ««m m ih< hgManda they ace c^aal in lunbci k> the Copu.

12/ To ihe queukoo whecher they would W pctpaied ao %*bm* to a teat oi opinMn br a demoenne inrthod, s«ach aa by senir»r %? a

ccAOituenc aaaemhhr eketed by a wiie Iraochaae niuch wouŁl Kaw the po-cr and authoeiry oi Cechaung los usuon wnh tiłwopu os rrmam.ee rdependent, the tuppositn oi the UdepesadcYKC gloc wrkomed a. whetea* tht Latosuat farty deotomd.

THE USTTEO NATIOSS AND TlłE ISDLPENDŁNCt Of UUTKEA

206.    MCr observcd that, whiic Eritrca po»ok( tramcJ pcople. it doc* not Kavc a Mftlticmt numćcr uf the® to sssume the govrrnmcn: or the tcrruorr KnmeJi-atdy. A period of ńmc is neccssary for the politura), ekonomie, socia! and educational dcsclopcncni ot the •nhabiunts, and to enturc the tranąualbty ot’ the territory beforc they arc able to take ovcr the govemmcot.

207.    For cascs soch as this, the United Nations Charter has pcovićcd the Trusteeship System. In Aniele 8), ic cstablishcs that the auchotity which exercises the adttinistratioo of a Trusteeship Tcffitory may bc one or moce Su ces or the Organiiation itsclf. Tne Independence Woc generally agreed to a Umited period ot d.rcct United Nations trusteeshtp. It objested in generał to a single To* er tr usteesłup. The Unionist poup demanded immc-diatc union with Eihiopia and therefore the ques:ion of trusteeship does not arise ui that case.

208.    Ta king into account the diffieulties which cjcisc in the designation of one Sute or a group of Sutes in the particular case of Eritrea, w e are of the opinion that the most appropriaie course would be for the United Nations co take direa charge of the adminńrrauon.

The luhj>i mmority

209.    We were imprested by the wock which the kahians have done and arc doing in the icnicory. The woodcrful road system, railway, port faciliócs and all other kinds of pubtic works arc essentially the result of Italian tcchnkal skill and emerptisc. The Industrie) of importancc in ihc territory, soch as the much factory, button faaoriea, glass works, sisal products, brewery, chinaware factory, and eiectrk worYs belong to and are run by kalśans.

2)0. The Italian agricultural and dairy farming concessiom are a model of indusuy and efficicncy in a bickward territory.

2)1. The minca, some of whkh bave had to be abandoncd on account of lawkssncss, are wocked under the direoion of Italian enginecis. In all ihesc ftcńvt<ics, considerablc natńre Jabour is employcd. The towns of Asmara and, to some exteru, Massawa, can bc described as ItaUan towns and without the lulian population they are liable to crumble and come to an cnd. The Commis-sion w.tncssed the sad sute of the town of Decamcre, whkh now appears completely desened after the depar-turc of a iarge number of its Iulun resufeots.

212. In order to krep alive the economic Ufe of the Principal towns and of Eritrca as a whole, the contkuiing panicipation by halians and half-castes is essential. Many of ihc former were born in Eritrca and know no other homr. Thry are cmitlcd to protection, which should be of a kind of which they could fcel eonfidcnt. They feel Uut, in an independent Eritrca, they will be aMe to lhrc m peace and prosperity. Therefore. trem the p«nnc oi \kw uf thi% uty tmpnnmt minonry^ha independence tbe Ust poiuhk solution tor Lr itr ej. 1 hcy jrccuniidcnt tbat Eritrca can bc cconomkaUy a sdfsuppomng country wńhin a lew years. and tha: partition will do it great hartn.

Peace and security m East Afnca

213.    The terms of refetwce of resohicion 2S9 (IV) of the General Assembly instrua the Cotnmistion for Eritrca to take into contidcration the interests o i peace and security in East Afnca in studying the problem.

214.    It his ofien been repeated that Eihiopia nceds the control of Eritrean territory for rcatons of security against possible aggrcssion kom oueside. Such a postibil* ky docs not cxivt. The surrounding countrics. such as the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, the coururies on the uther sidc of the Red Sea, and the ncighboormg colonial terrkorict adminnicrcd by France and the United Kingdom, as well as former Italian Somalii and, whkh is now under the International Trusteeship System of the Umted!Nations, do not pretent any danger to the peace of Eihiopia, nor, in generał, to the peace and security of that area of the world.

215.    Trusteeship by the United Nations over Eritrca would be the best guirantee of intcrnal peace and security in that territory and of iniemańonal peace and security in East Africa. The mam groups would IWe tn peace stde by side, as they hare bccn lhring for ccsiturks. In Eritrca, under trusteeship or independence, che minori-ties are conhdent that they ais© would havc security. Within the frasnewotk of a union of Entrca wuh Łthiopu the Muslim majony and the Iulun mmoriry feel that they could never bc happy. The Muslims and I ta Lam hast cxprcascd their viewj in no unceruin terms 83/

216.    An independent Erkrea—which can nerer be-come a miitary stronghold—could never consotute a threat to Ethiopia.

217.    Against a hypotłsetical futurę aggression on the pan of a great milieary Power, alicn to A/rka, there is the International guaramce by the United Nations. lf, by any unhappy chance, that guarantce should bccome incffccityc, the cootro! of the territory of Eritrca would not savc Eihiopia nor safeguard it against an aggrcssion of that type.

218.    On the coatrary, ihe annexaoon of Eritrca, an part or in whole, to Eihiopia, or the annexańon of a part of Eritrca to the Sudan agaimt the will of a Iarge poction of the Er itr can population, would creatcconstant internal

IV Holf ky Ih* deSeuuo* of tjkuu*-. The    ot ihc

Muil m p<pubiM« of unici m puńM bj tMccwdińoos ptniLrt a ŁihMfU up io ihc f*tkoi umt.

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