Secretary-General U Thant informed the Security Council here today, as the 15-member body continued to debate Israel’s complaint against Syrian responsibility for the recent outbreaks of El Fatah attacks in Israel, costing at least four lives, that he will submit a report on the recent Syrian-Israeli border incidents tomorrow.
Mr. Thant made that statement after he had been requested by Lord Caradon, of Britain, this month’s president of the Council, to submit such a report from Lt. Gen, Odd Bull, chief of staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization. Mr. Thant re- plied immediately that he had just received the Bull report, and that the document would be submitted to the Council as soon as the necessary translations were completed.
Lord Caradon announced that the Council would reconvene its debate on the Israeli grievance after consultations with the Council members when the Bull report is in.
Prior to Lord Caradon’s request and Mr. Thant’s speedy response, the Council was addressed at this afternoon’s session by the representatives of six members, including Argentina, Japan, China, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Uruguay. All except Bulgaria, a staunch member of the Soviet bloc, approved of Israel’s action in bringing its complaint against Syria to the United Nations, instead of taking unilateral action in reprisal against the El Fatah raids into Israel. All but Bulgaria appealed to both Syria and Israel to refrain from any actions that might aggravate the present tense situation in their area. Bulgaria, on the other hand, followed the Soviet bloc’s policy of directing its fire against Israel, rather than at Syria.
Three Arab speakers also addressed the Council this afternoon. They were Egypt’s permanent representative here, Ambassador Mohamed Awad El-Kony, who was given a seat at the Council table at his request; Syria’s Ambassador George J. Tomeh; and Jamil M. Baroody, of Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Tomeh criticized Israel again, directed much of his fire at Israel’s Foreign Minister Abba Eban, who had presented Israel’s case to the Council when it opened the current debate late last Friday night, and harshly attacked Ambassador Arthur J. Goldberg, head of the United States delegation here. Mr. Goldberg’s address to the Council last Friday night supported Israel’s present case against Syria vigorously. The Syrian charged Mr. Goldberg was motivated by the fact that the American was himself a Zionist.
GOLDBERG REPLIES HE IS A ZIONIST; COMAY ATTACKS SOVIET AMBASSADOR
Exercising his right of reply, Mr. Goldberg reiterated before the Council that he always has been a Zionist and is a Zionist now, and said that his personal position as a Zionist does not conflict in any way with the position of the U.S. Government toward the conflict in the Middle East. He added that the United States supports the independence of all states in the area, and reminded the Council delegates that the demarcation line between Israel and Syria was “internationally recognized by the United Nations.”
Israel’s Ambassador, Michael S. Comay, delivered an address in which he expressed his Government’s sense of “encouragement” by the fact that many Council members have, thus far agreed with the fact that Israel brought its case to the Council table. He reiterated what Israel considers the “essential elements” of his present grievance: Syria’s aid and encouragement to the El Fatah terrorists, its refusal to halt such actions, its continued threats of and incitements to anti-Israeli violence, and its violations of the United Nations Charter and the provisions of the Israeli-Syrian armistice agreement of 1949, which specifically forbids acts of violence or threats.
Mr. Comay insisted that the Council is entitled to a forthright answer from Syria, as demanded last Friday night by Mr. Eban, as to whether it is willing to halt its violations of the Charter and the armistice pact. He denied categorically charges that Israel is threatening the security of Syria or massing troops on Syria’s borders. He further upbraided Soviet Ambassador Nikolai T. Fedorenko who has told the Council that Israel is massing troops against Syria, saying that such a charge was “totally devoid of truth.”
Mr. Comay also announced that he had information that, on Wednesday, Gen. Bull will undertake inspections of both the Syrian and Israeli borders, as previously requested by Mr. Eban, to see whether either side is massing troops on its borders against its neighbor state.
Mr. Fedorenko replied to Mr. Comay with the same sharpness against Israel that he had employed in the Council since it opened its current debate last week. He said that both Mr. Eban and Mr. Comay were “pompous” in their statements, charging that actions “by certain circles in Israeli constantly refute” the statements by the Israeli delegation here.
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