A plan to continue United Nations relief to the Arab refugees but; at the same time, to work toward integrating them in the broad economy of the Middle East region, at costs that will run to between $1,500,000,000 and $2,000,000,000 between next year and 1965, was proposed here this week-end by Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold.
Mr, Hammarskjold filed his report for consideration by the next session of the General Assembly; which will convene in September. The last session of the Assembly instructed him to prepare a report on relief activities among Arab refugees in view of the fact that the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Arab Refugees expires on June 30, 1960.
UNRWA’s activities, Mr. Hammarskjold recommended in his report, should be continued pending the “reintegration of the refugees into the economic life of the Near East, either by repatriation or by resettlement.” He proposed a division of functions between the agency and the “host” governments — Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, The latter governments, he proposed, are to be responsible for the general educational programs for refugees. UNRWA, however, is to continue relief, rehabilitation and projects toward making the refugees self-supporting.
One step Mr. Hammarskjold suggested for UNRWA is that it weed out its relief rolls to eliminate the “fraudulently registered and undeclared dead.” At the same time, however, he recommended that children and others eligible for relief be placed on the rolls of UNRWA.
In viewing the future of the refugees, Mr. Hammarskjold recommended to the Assembly that the unemployed refugee population be considered “an asset for the future,” rather than as a liability. If such an attitude is taken, the U. N. chief stated, “the reintegration of the refugee population into the productive life of the area” is a possibility. He said that there are “economic reasons” for hoping that such reintegration into the region’s economy is feasible, regardless of where they are to be integrated.
Mr. Hammarskjold did not indicate the nature of the projects to be developed with the large sums of money needed by 1965, nor where those projects are to be established. But statistical tables backing up his proposals indicated clearly that it would be much cheaper to integrate the refugees in the Arab countries than in Israel.
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