Israel today told the UN General Assembly’s Trusteeship Committee that it favors the granting of independence to the Cameroons, in Africa, without forcing general elections there prior to independence.
The Israel Government’s attitude was delineated by Abba Eban, chairman of its delegation here. The General Assembly, which adjourned its overall session last December, has been reconvened this month for a debate of the Cameroons issue.
Forcing the Cameroons to hold elections now, as demanded by some spokesmen in the Assembly, would amount to interference in the internal affairs of a territory which is on the verge of independence and which is expected to be a member of the United Nations within ten months, Mr. Eban declared.
The Israeli voiced high praise for the UN’s trusteeship policy, which aids former “colonial” peoples to attain full sovereignty. He pointed out that Israel warmly welcomed five new African members into the United Nations since 1955, and that “by 1960, Nigeria, Togoland, Somaliland and the Cameroons will have joined our company.”
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