Soviet Representative at Peace Conference Opposes International Court of Human Rights

Leaders of central Jewish organizations who last week submitted a joint memorandum to the Peace Conference on Jewish rights in European countries, held a closed meeting tonight following the indication today by Dmitri Z. Manuilsky, head of the Soviet Ukrainian delegation, that the Soviet Union would oppose the establishment of an International Court of Human Rights as suggested by Herbert V. Evatt, the Australian representative.

In opposing the suggestion of the Australian Minister for External Affairs, Manuilsky today quoted from the United Nations Charter the text of article 2, paragraph 7, which reads: “Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State, or shall require the members to submit matters to settlement under the present Charter.”

The head of the Ukrainian delegation made his statement during a discussion today by the Political and Territorial Commission for Italy of the preamble of the draft treaty. An Australian amendment to the preamble urged the guaranteeing “to all persons in the territories affected by it of human rights and fundamental freedoms, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.” Discussion of the amendment was postponed until several articles of the treaty draft touching upon the problem can be collated and debated.

Meanwhile, Andrei Y. Vishinsky, Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister, indicated today that he intends to take part in the debate on the question of human rights when Article 72 of the Italian draft treaty is discussed. This question will figure even earlier in the discussions of paragraphs 13 and 14 of the draft treaty. A United States proposal says that the state to which territory is transferred will secure the fundamental rights and freedoms to all persons within the territory.