The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 219
203 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN The emphasis in the current Session of the Assembly is on making a beginning with something or the other, the banning of nuclear tests, stopping the spread or the manufacture of nuclear weapons, safeguards against sudden attack etc. Progress in the scientific field might show the way towards a treaty banning nuclear tests permanently. It seems now to be established that nuclear tests can be detected without inspection. Scientific means have now become available by which it can be determined beyond doubt whether a test has taken place. May be science might show the way, first, towards the banning of tests and restraining them, and next, towards Disarmament. At the bottom of the whole problem is a lack of the minimum degree of confidence in the motives, intentions, and the determination to carry out obligations, of each side. Question : Would you care to say something, Sir, about your election to the office of President of the General Assembly ? Khan : Well, yes, but it will take a little explanation. When I arrived in New York last year, Ambassador Shahi, who was my number two here, while we were still at Idlewild, in his briefing of me on what the situation was, told me what was likely in respect of the Presidency of the Sixteenth Session. He said there were two candidates: Ambassador Mongi Slim of Tunisia and Ambassador Ali Sastroamidjojo of Indonesia; and it was expected that Ambassador Ali would withdraw, provided the Afro-Asian group would pledge their support of his candidacy the following year, that is, for the current session which is now in progress. I told Ambassador Shahi that would be all right with us. We would be quite happy, but that my personal reaction was that an Asian should not follow immediately upon an African in the Presidency. I had ever before arrival here, from Cambridge and London, sensed the feeling which already existed and which has become sharper and sharper, that now that the Afro-Asians had increased their voting strength, they were likely to steamroller things in the United Nations. I felt we should not do anything to strengthen that impression. I thought we could reasonably claim the Presidency in alternate years. That would be a satisfactory arrangement, as we now had almost 50 percent of the voting strength, and it was likely to go beyond 50 percent in a year or two. But I was strongly of the view that we should not hold the Presidency two years running.