Flouting the Charter

The Argentine freighter Santos Vega, now on the high seas, is due to dock at New Orleans this month with a cargo of Rhodesian chrome. The shipment violates the sanctions against trade with Rhodesia imposed by the United Nations Security Council in 1966 and marks the first time the U.S. has deliberately ignored its U.N. charter obligations.

The U.N.'s Sanctions Committee is investigating allegations that a number of European, Asian and Latin American countries have continued to trade with Rhodesia. There is also widespread suspicion that some of the overpriced "Russian" chrome the U.S. is currently buying originates in Rhodesia. Still, as the harsh criticism of the U.S. in the Security Council indicated last week, those who break the rules of the game in a world where appearance often counts more than reality should not be surprised when the other players cry foul.

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