Israel Requests Urgent Security Council Meeting to Act on Syria

Israel requested today an “urgent” meeting of the Security Council to deal with Israel’s charges of Syrian responsibility for the recent outbreak of murderous, terrorist raids into Israel.

The meeting is expected to be held Friday. Israel Foreign Minister Abba Eban, who had been scheduled to leave here on Friday, is remaining at the United Nations in connection with the request for a Council meeting. Mr. Eban announced the request for Council action after a 45-minute conference with George Brown, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, whose permanent representative here, Lord Caradon, is this month’s president of the Security Council. Mr. Eban said he will address the Council’s opening session on this issue.

The Israeli letter to the Council was signed by Israel’s permanent representative at the United Nations, Ambassador Michael S. Comay, who proposed the following agenda for the forthcoming Council session:

“1. Acts of aggression committed by armed groups operating from Syrian territory against the citizens and territory of Israel, in violation of the United Nations Charter and the Israel-Syrian general armistice agreement — and in particular the sabotage and mine-laying incidents of October 7-9;

“2. Threats by Syria against the territorial integrity and political independence of Israel, and open Syrian incitement to war against Israel, in violation of the United Nations Charter and the Israel-Syrian general armistice agreement.”

(In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol’s announcement today that he had instructed his Government’s delegation to the United Nations to file the request for a Security Council meeting, came an hour after his second meeting in two days with Dimitri Chuvakhin, the Soviet Ambassador to Israel. The announcement, coming after two such USSR-Israeli talks in quick succession, reportedly aroused much speculation in Israel.)

EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER CALLS ON NATIONS TO SUPPORT THE P. L. O.

At the same time Israel was calling for Council action against Syria, Mahmoud Riad, Egyptian Foreign Minister, used the United Nations General Assembly as the forum for an appeal to “all peace-loving nations” to support the “Palestine Liberation Organization.” The P. L. O. was organized under Arab League sponsorship, using Arab refugee recruits, with the avowed goal of an attack on Israel. The El Fatah terrorists, based in Syria, who have been raiding Israel, are part of the P. L. O.

“The struggle of the people of Palestine,” Mr. Riad told the Assembly, “under the leadership and direction of the Liberation Committee for Palestine, is a noble effort worthy of full support and endorsement by all peace-loving nations desirous of the establishment of peace with justice. With this in mind, we call on all peace-loving nations to give their support to the Palestine Liberation Committee to continue its struggle against colonialism and racial discrimination, which will also serve the cause of freedom and racial justice.”

(In Cairo, according to a London dispatch, Ahmed Shukairy, chairman of the P. L. O., said today that his army “is on full alert, and that it will enter the usurped territory if any Israeli attack is launched against Syria.”)