Abba Eban, Israel’s Foreign Minister, has again urged Secretary-General U Thant to stay on in his post on the grounds that Mr. Thant’s initiative is needed at the United Nations at this time to help solve the Viet Nam situation. Mr. Eban had previously urged Mr. Thant by cable to accept reelection to the Secretary-Generalship. This time, however, at their first personal conference here, yesterday, since the current session of the General Assembly opened, Mr. Eban reiterated his plea that Mr. Thant accept reelection, pegging his request particularly to the Viet Nam situation.
The Eban-Thant session lasted a half hour, during which time the conferees also discussed African problems. They left for a later meeting a discussion of Middle East problems in general and, specifically, the issue of the Arab refugees which is to be debated by the Assembly’s Special Political Committee. That committee is not scheduled to hold its first meeting until October 7. Prior to that time, on October 4, Mr. Eban is listed to deliver a major foreign policy address before the plenary session of the General Assembly.
In addition to the coming discussion of the refugee issue with Mr. Thant, the Israeli Foreign Minister is scheduled to go into that matter also with Dr. Max Jakobson, Finland’s permanent representative here, who is this year’s chairman of the Assembly committee that will debate the refugee question. Mr. Jakobson is a Jew.
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