State department officials today studied an offer made by President Nasser of the United Arab Republic with regard to the Suez blockade issue and came to the conclusion that the offer contained no new element in the Arab-Israel dispute. In his proposal, Nasser said he would accept a United Nations commission to implement all United Nations resolutions related to Israel, including the 1951 Security Council resolution calling for freedom of transit in the Suez Canal.
The offer was made by Nasser in a statement to representatives of the American press in Cairo. It was obvious that the statement was primarily for propaganda purposes. Nasser emphasized that he would insist on the plan to give Palestinian Arab refugees the right to their former homes or to accept compensation, as well as on the 1947 plan for partition of Palestine and the internationalization of Jerusalem, if he were to accept the UN resolution on freedom of shipping in the Suez Canal.
Nasser said in his statement that “if Israel accepts all UN resolutions, we will accept the Security Council resolution of 1951.” He was quoted as declaring: “We are ready to accept a UN board or commission to put these resolutions into effect for both Israel and us. But it would be unfair if only we are asked to implement the resolutions on our side while Israel does not implement those on her side.” He said such a board might be the Palestine Conciliation Commission established in 1949 or a new body.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
