Big Four Again Fail to Agree; Jarring Reported Working on Refugee Settlement

The Big Four ambassadors met this morning to discuss their plans for Big Power guarantees of a Middle East peace settlement but failed to reach an agreement. They will meet again next Thursday. This is the third time in two weeks the Big Four ambassadors met to reconcile their differences without being able to reach a decision on the forms and types of guarantees. As the Big Four met, rumors circulated throughout the United Nations that special mediator Dr. Gunnar V. Jarring was drawing up proposals for a settlement of the Palestinian refugee problem. Reportedly, the drawing of the formula was entrusted to John Reedman, a Middle East expert, a recent addition to Dr. Jarring’s staff. Just when the refugee plan, if one is being drawn up, will be made public, will depend in part, according to sources, on the result of Dr. Jarring’s talk with Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban who is expected to arrive here on Monday.

Some diplomatic sources here believe that if the Palestinian refugees were offered the choice of returning to a Jewish State of Israel or receiving “generous compensation,” the great majority would choose compensation. The U.S. and other Western countries would be expected to contribute generously to a fund to indemnify the refugees. Because of the deadlock now existing in the Israel-Egypt talks, Dr. Jarring is reported to be considering taking up the problems of the Israel-Jordan peace settlement at this time. This would involve the question of both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel has not yet stated her official position on the West Bank but has stated often and unequivocally that she will never return East Jerusalem. It has been suggested in some quarters, that Jordan may be given “rights” as a protector of the Moslem Holy Places in an Israeli Jerusalem.