The views of Israel on the Korean war and attempts at its settlement were outlined in the U.N. General Assembly this week-end by Abba S. Eban, Israel’s chief delegate. Mr. Eban also offered a proposal for the appointment of a drafting subcommission to consolidate various opposing draft resolutions on how to end the war.
Presenting his proposal Mr. Eban declared that in view of the “impressive list of complex problems” already agreed upon at the Panmunjom armistice conference in Korea, it is “impossible to believe” that the sole remaining problem — the prisoner of war issue–could not be solved at this session of the U.N. The Israeli delegate offered the following ten elements of a resolution on ending the war which he believed the General Assembly should adopt:
1. The General Assembly should “acknowledge receipt of the special report of the unified command of October 18, 1952.”
2. The General Assembly should “note with approval that substantial progress has been attained in the drafting of the armistice agreement in accordance with United Nations principles.”
3. The General Assembly should “note further that disagreement on one remaining issue has prevented the achievement of such an armistice.
4. The General Assembly should “reaffirm the earnest intention of the United Nations to reach a just and honorable settlement of the Korean conflict.”
5. The General Assembly should “note with approval the tentative agreements which have been reached in the armistice negotiations.”
6. The General Assembly should “recommend that the question of prisoners of war be solved in accordance with the principles of humanity and international law; that such a solution shall recognize the prisoners’ unrestricted opportunity of repatriation; and shall exclude both forcible repatriation of prisoners refusing, for adequate reason, to return, and forcible retention inconsistent with the recognized right of unrestricted opportunity of repatriation.”
7. The General Assembly should “recommend that a joint body be established by mutual agreement between the negotiating sides, which shall decide upon the claims and submissions of prisoners desiring not to utilize their rights of repatriation.”
8. The General Assembly should “recommend that all suggestions for settling the problem of prisoners of war consistent with the above principles shall be taken into consideration by the negotiators.”
9. The General Assembly should “endorse the recommendation contained in paragraph 60 of the tentative draft armistice agreement, and recommend that the consideration of that part of the Soviet proposal dealing with a commission for a settlement of the Korean question in the spirit of the unification of Korea shall take place when the recommendations included in the above-mentioned paragraph 60 become effective.”
10. The General Assembly “should request its president to transmit this resolution to Peking and to North Korea.”
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