The United Nations Conciliation Commission will meet here tomorrow to consider a new Israeli plan to rescue the Arab-Jewish peace conference at Lausanne from failure. The four-point plan was outlined to members of the Commission yesterday by Dr. Walter Eytan, director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and head of the Israeli delegation to the conference.
The first proposal made by Dr. Eytan was the establishment of five subcommittees by the Commission to deal with the following problems: 1. The internationalization of Jerusalem and the Holy Places; 2. The draft of a possible overall peace treaty; 3. Territorial adjustments and future frontiers; 4. Repatriation of Arab refugees who fled Palestine during the war; and, 5. Discussion of economic problems effecting Israel and its neighbors.
Continuing with his proposals, Dr. Eytan suggested that the Commission seek wider powers for the Arab delegations here. The Arab representatives have time and again stated that they are not authorized to discuss more than the question of repatriating the Palestine Arab refugees. Dr. Eytan recommended that the Commission use its influence at Lausanne and in the various Arab capitals to enlarge the scope of the talks and the authority of the Arab delegates.
ISRAEL ASKS ARMISTICE PACTS BE BASIS FOR FURTHER TALKS
The final suggestion put forward by the Israeli delegate was that the armistice agreements in force between Israel and Egypt, Transjordan and Lebanon be made the basis for future discussions Dr. Eytan pointed out that the armistice pacts are the only existing basis for relations between Israel and the Arab states, and voiced the opinion that the Commission had full authority to make this move.
(The New York Times reported today from Paris that Mark Ethridge, retiring chairman of the American delegation to the Lausanne talks, had conferred with Secretary of State Dean Acheson in Paris. Mr. Ethridge, who is en route home, will also confer with President Truman. The Times said that it is understood that Mr. Ethridge told Secretary Acheson that the major reason for the stalemate at Lausanne is the inability of either side to make basic concessions.)
The initial reaction of two of the three members of the Commission–Hussein Yalchin of Turkey and Claude do Boissanger of Franco–to Dr. Eytan’s plan was negative. That of Raymond Here, the now American member of the body, was said to be noncommittal. The rejection by Mr. Yalchin and M.de Boissanger, on the grounds that the Commission is not yet ready to change its methods of procedure, has surprised observers here who have believed that the Commission, bogged down at this point, would welcome any show of initiative.
Mr. Hare’s lack of comment is being interpreted as a favorable omen. It is expected that he will eventually throw his support behind the Israeli suggestions, and will carry along the French and Turkish delegates. If the Commission does accept the proposals tomorrow, it will then present them formally to the four Arab delegations.
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