Policy of the Council of Europe in the light of recent developments in the international situation

Report | Doc. 599 | 08 January 1957

Committee

Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy

Rapporteur :

Mr Lodovico BENVENUTI, Italy

Origin

See Rocommendation 105, Resolutions 112 and 113. 1956 - 8th Session - Third part

Thesaurus

A Draft Recommendation concerning the situation in Hungary and the Middle E

The Assembly,

I

Having examined the development of the situation in Hungary,

Declares that the responsibility for the brutal repression of t h e Hungarian people falls on t h e Soviet Union, aided and abetted politically by Communist Parties subject to i t;

Declares that Soviet Communism has openly rejected all moral principles and shown itself determined to preserve its tyrannical rule, even by resorting to t h e use of armed force against, and deportation of, workers who aspire to be freed from political and economic oppression;

Proclaims that the political system of the Soviet Union, by virtue of its reactionary character, still represents.a mortal danger for the most valuable achievements of the modern world, achievements which are t h e outcome of a century of struggle for political liberty and social progress by peoples of the West;

Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

a should invite member countries to continue without respite efforts to ensure that the decisions of the United Nations are respected and, in particular, those requiring :

t h e evacuation of Soviet troops from Hungary in accordance with the offer made on the 30th October last by the Government of the Soviet Union itself;

the repatriation of Hungarian citizens deported by the Soviet forces or deprived of their personal liberty for political reasons;

t h e re-establishment of the political independence of Hungary and the setting up of a Government enjoying popular support;

b should urge Members to join together:

2.1 to offer economic aid for relieving t h e distress of t h e Hungarian people to a Hungarian Government which can offer minimum guarantees;

2.2 to inform the Soviet Union t h a t t h e Western Powers are always ready to open negotiations for the establishment of a general European security system which, while giving the U. S. S. R. legitimate guarantees and not affecting the balance of power in Europe, would provide for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from territories occupied against the will of their peoples, and re-establish the national sovereignty of each of the peoples of Eastern and Central Europe;

II

Having examined the development of the situation in the Middle East;

Reaffirming its Resolution 112, adopted on 28th October 1956;

Considering that the presence of an international force in this area could be conducive to the creation of t h e conditions t h a t are necessary for the peaceful solution of outstanding problems in a spirit of international justice,

Recommends that the Committee of Ministers should invite member countries :

a jointly to ask the United Nations to keep this international force in the area until :

1.1 the Suez Canal has been cleared;

1.2 a system has been established guaranteeing for all States freedom of navigation in the Suez Canal;

1.3 a peace treaty has been concluded between the Arab States and Israel;

b to seek to establish a common policy in the Middle East in order to ensure peace and stability there, in conjunction with the United States and any other State able to join in t h a t task.

B Draft Recommendation on European unification

The Assembly,

Noting that the development of the international situation has once more confirmed the urgent need for Europe to become a united force politically, economically and in defence matters within the community of t h e West,

Recommends action by the Committee of Ministers as follows :

1 that it should submit to the Consultative Assembly, in pursuance of Article 1 of the Statute, proposals for establishing the political organs of the European community, taking into account the organisations that have, or are being, set up, such as E. C. S. C, Euratom and the Common Market;

2 t h a t it should ask the Governments to reply at an early date to the invitation addressed to them in Resolution (56) 23 of the Committee of Ministers, inviting them to consider the principles set out in Recommendation 105 with a view to working out a common European policy;

3 that it should work out, on the basis of these replies, a concrete and effective method for co-ordinating their national foreign policies as a preparation for drawing up a common policy.