Foreign Minister Abba Eban downgraded the United Nations today as an effective instrument for action or an arena for useful debate and warned Egypt to abandon its illusions that the United States would impose a settlement in the Buddies East.
Addressing the Jerusalem Press Club, Eban said Egypt had not yet been weaned away from the illusion that it could expect a favorable settlement from outside. He said that Israel knew from “very recent contacts with the U.S.” that America remained opposed to an imposed settlement and expressed hope that Egypt would soon realize that this was no passing fad but a central plank of U.S. policy.
WILL NOT ATTEND UN MIDEAST DEBATE
The Foreign Minister told his audience that he would not be attending the UN General Assembly debate on the Middle East which opens in New York next week because the repetitiveness of UN debates on the Middle East, the “almost automatic repetition of speeches” detracted from the importance of the Assembly. “If there was to be a serious debate directed at achieving peace I would go anywhere to hold it, if it held out any percentage chance of progress to peace,” he said.
According to Eban, UN debates have become “mere vituperative haranguing.” He cited as an example of lack of objectivity the recent condemnation of Israel’s activities in the Gaza Strip by the General Assembly’s Political Committee. He said that Israel knew in advance that any report turned in by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Arab refugees (UNRWA) would be approved automatically by most delegates. He said Israel had promised to re-house all Gaza residents affected by security operations and UNRWA seized on a temporary backlog in building the new homes to make an unfavorable report.
Eban’s remarks were seen as the first official confirmation of a trend to play down the importance of the world organization among Israeli government officials. Observers said the Foreign Minister’s comments today seemed to raise the unofficial lack of respect felt here for the UN to the level of official policy.
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