Eban Condemns Arab States “abuse” of United Nations

Ambassador Abba S. Eban, here for a series of government consultations, charged the Arab States today with “abuse of the United Nations in planned avoidance of their basic responsibilities as U.N. members” by failing to make peace with Israel and by raising “harmful and futile” issues in the General Assembly.

Speaking in a nationally broadcast press conference, Mr. Eban said that the Arab States were now engaged in their “senseless, peculiar international custom” – they failed to make contact with Israel throughout the year and “in the autumn, when the leaves begin to fall, and the voice of the United Nations is heard in the land, they emit a cry of pain and surprise that these problems are unsolved.”

He declared that Israel, “once we are compelled to enter the struggle, will not allow the Arabs to take the initiative and we have submitted a complaint to the United Nations based on the basic fact-their refusal to enter direct negotiations with Israel.”

He declared that there “definitely” was danger to Israel in the supply of arms to the Arab States and said that as long as these states failed to regularize their relations with Israel “we are not made happy by any intention to increase their military might,” He declared that a precondition to the supply of arms to the Arab States should be that they must first normalize their relations with Israel.

Mr. Eban said that Israel is continuing to negotiate with the United States for arms but said that until now the result has not been satisfactory. He firmly declared his belief that “we are entitled to such aid not less than other nations” and added that “there is no contradiction in our demand for arms and our opposition to arms for the Arabs-the sole criterion is the readiness for peace.” He pointed out that there is no danger in providing arms for Israel whereas “the Arabs do not abstain from hopes for revenge and additional arms will increase their aggressiveness.”