Israel Tells U. K. Arabs Must Clarify Aims on War or Peace

Israel requested today that the Security Council get an “unequivocal” statement from the Arab states as to whether they “are willing to renounce the use of force” and abide by the peaceful provisions of the United Nations Charter. The request was made in a letter from Ambassador Michael Comay, Israel’s permanent representative here, to Sir Patrick Dean, of Britain, this month’s president of the Security Council.

In his letter, Mr. Comay referred to his earlier complaint against the Arab intentions to destroy Israel, as enunciated at the recent Arab summit conference in Alexandria, as well as to the answer to that charge, filed here by the representatives of the 13 hostile Arab states.

Mr. Comay noted that, in their reply, the Arab representatives had repeated the full text of the Alexandria proclamation against Israel. He stated the official text, supplied by the Arabs themselves, establishes beyond any doubt the Arab aims to liquidate Israel.

Noting that the Arab reply had used “evasive and ambiguous language,” Mr. Comay told the Council: “Either these 13 Arab states have set themselves the aim of liquidating another member state, or they are willing to renounce the use of force and abide by the provisions of the Charter. It is the right of the United Nations and the international community to expect an unequivocal answer to this question. The letter from the Arab representatives, by evading the real issue, only bears out the need for the United Nations and its members to take serious note of the threat to international peace and security involved in the anti-Israel policies of the Arab states as proclaimed in the Alexandria declaration.”

The Israel letter did not ask for a meeting of the Council on the issue, but requested only that the contents of the Comay missive be circulated officially as a Security Council document.