The General Assembly yesterday approved the appointment of Major General P.S. Gyani of India, as commander of the 5,000 -man United Nations Emergency Force, stationed on the border between Israel and Egypt and at the Straits of Tiran. General Gyani will succeed Lieutenant General E.L.M, Burns, of Canada, who will become the Canadian representative in the disarmament talks, scheduled to begin early next year in Geneva.
General Burns, whose resignation was announced last week, headed the UN Emergency Force since its formation in 1956 to facilitate the withdrawal from Egypt of French, British and Israel troops. Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold paid tribute to the Canadian’s leadership in molding the UN troops into a “unique and pioneering peace force,”
The UN Assembly also voted yesterday in favor of continuing the UNEF. The resolution authorizes the Secretary General to spend up to $20,000,000 in 1960 for the continuing operation of the Force and provides for the crediting towards 50 percent of next year’s assessments of all voluntary contributions pledged this year.
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