Motion Carried

Resolved: that the Security Council under Article 34 of the Charter establish, a commission to ascertain the facts relating to the alleged border "violations along the frontier between Greece on the one hand and Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia on the other.

The vote in favor was unanimous. Three months ago Russia had vetoed a similar proposal; this time, although Russia's Andrei Gromyko again brandished the veto, he failed to throw it. The U.N. Assembly which closed in triumph last fortnight had advised the big powers to use the veto with restraint. Last week they were doing so.

The Council agreed that all of Greece, Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia should be open territory for the investigation. This was a compromise between Russia's desire to include all of Greece but only the borders of the other three, and Britain's desire to include all of the three Soviet satellite lands but only the borders of Greece. The investigators were directed to proceed to the trouble zone by Jan. 15. Each of the Security Council's eleven members will be represented.

What Is a Veto? The prolonged argument over details and phrasing which led up to the final resolution added some weight to a growing and wholesome precedent: that an abstention is not a veto. During the recent Assembly meeting Russia's Vishinsky had argued that an abstention is a veto. Last week Gromyko reversed Vishinsky, and Britain's Cadogan backed him up.

Herschel Johnson of the U.S., presiding, asked for votes in favor of a Mexican proposal to increase the number of nations participating in the Balkan inquiry from seven to eleven. Eight hands went up, but since Gromyko's did not, Johnson declared the proposal defeated. Gromyko shook his head. Realizing that the Russian did not intend to veto, Johnson asked for negative votes. Only Poland and The Netherlands (neither has a veto right) responded. "Motion carried," said Mr. Johnson.

Later, Sir Alexander Cadogan abstained from voting on a proposal to include the whole of Greek territory in the investigation. But he nodded and smiled at Gromyko, as if to say "No veto" (or "After you, Alphonse") and the motion was carried.

Last week Athens reported heavy troop movements and concentrations in Yugoslavia's Vardar Valley, north of Greece. It seemed likely that all such activity would stop before the Security Council investigators could get within gunshot. If Greece's northern neighbors should hastily sweep everything under the rug, it would be up to the investigators to lift the rug.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.