Editorial Note
Ambassador Austin, on March 5, reiterated to the Security Council the strong opposition of the United States to the Belgian amendment but announced that the United States would abstain from voting on the amendment to “avoid raising any question of a veto (SC, 3rd yr., Nos. 36–51, page 25). Later in the discussion, he expressed his willingness, in the interests of harmony, to meet Ambassador Gromyko’s wishes regarding direct consultation (ibid., page 31).
The Council, the same day, moved to vote on the Belgian amendment, paragraph by paragraph. None of the paragraphs secured the necessary seven affirmative votes and the President of the Council ruled the Belgian amendment defeated (ibid.) pages 35–40, passim). The Council then proceeded to vote on the amended draft resolution of the United States, adopting the preamble, paragraph 2(a) and the final paragraph. The key first paragraph, however, received but five affirmative votes, those of the United States, the Soviet Union, Belgium, France, and the Ukraine, with six abstentions, and therefore failed of adoption. Paragraphs 2(b) and 2(c) fell one vote short of the required seven votes and also failed of adoption (ibid., pages 40–43). For the text of the approved portions of the draft resolution, see telegram 164 to Jerusalem, infra.