Maj. Gen. E. L. M. Burns, Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine, will continue in his post beyond the June 30 deadline for his year’s appointment, according to UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold. Efforts to arrange high level talks between Egypt and Israel are “a matter for daily consideration” and this is no time to take Gen. Burns away from that work, Mr. Hammarskjold declared at a press conference here today.
The Secretary General was asked whether he contemplated re-appointing or replacing Gen. Burns, who assumed the post in July, 1954. Mr. Hammarskjold had previously pointed out that such an appointment is for a year’s duration but that there is no hard and fast rule about the length of tenure. “This would be a rather curious moment for a change, “he said.” There certainly will not be any change in the next few weeks. The present circumstances are such that a change would not be indicative of wisdom.”
Asked whether Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., American delegate and this month’s president c### Security Council, had alerted him about the possibility that a Security Council meeting might be held next week in San Francisco, where the UN is commemorating its 10th anniversary, Mr. Hammarskjold said that the Secretariat had made no plans for such a meeting on the Coast. However, he pointed out, an emergency meeting would be feasible if an emergency developed, since all the members of the Council will be together in San Francisco.
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