American, Russian and British experts were today seeking a compromise on the wording of the so-called “Palestine clause” in the trusteeship agreements, the elimination of which was asked by the Soviet delegation, which apparently fears that the clause might be interpreted so as to “freeze” the status of the peoples in mandated areas and prevent their eventual independence.
Commander Harold Stassen, speaking for the U.S. delegation, told the Jewish telegraphic Agency today that the delegation will not agree to the Soviet request that the disputed paragraph be dropped, but it may agree to a change in its wording so long as it guarantees that the status of the mandated territories should not be altered during the transition period of transferring the mandates from the league of Nations to the trusteeship system which will be established by the United Nations Conference.
“We do not advocate any rights that do not exist in the League of Nations’ mandates,” he said. Without mentioning the word “Palestine,” he expressed confidence that all matters pertaining to the peoples in the mandated territories will be solved satisfactorily to all. Other delegates also indicated that while language changes in the disputed paragraph are expected, the substance and overall intention of the paragraph will remain.
ARAB DELEGATIONS SEEK SHARE IN TRUSTEESHIP OF PALESTINE
Arab delegations today continued their battle against the “Palestine clause,” with a view to opening the way for Arab countries to share in the trusteeship of Palestine when the area is placed under international trusteeship. The Syrian delegation today insisted that the disputed clause is “superfluous,” while the Egyptian delegation, supported by Iraq, demanded that the trusteeship proposal be modified so as to permit multiple trusteeship which would give the Arab states who are members of the United Nations an opportunity, later, to ask for participation in the trusteeship over Palestine.
The Egyptian amendment, which came up for discussion last night, met with severe opposition from the British delegation. Lond Granborne emphasized that British experience has shown that joint control of a territory by two or more powers never works well. At the suggestion of the Soviet delegation, voting on the Egyptian amendment was postponed.
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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.
