President John F. Kennedy has exchanged at least five letters with United Arab Republic President Gamal Abdel Nasser in the last month, all of the letters dealing with the Israeli-Arab issues, it was disclosed here today. Mr. Kennedy had written to five Arab rulers, informing them he wanted to contribute to a solution of the Palestine refugee problem. Several of the Arab chiefs have replied.
All five of the letters were reportedly the same in substance, although they were not identical. In his letter to one of the rulers, King Hussein of Jordan, the President stated in part:
“While unfortunately tension is increasing in certain parts of the world, the Middle East countries have continued to be relatively tranquil in the last three years. This is particularly owing to the sound policy of leaders in the area who have given priority to development and economic projects.
“Both I and Secretary of State Dean Rusk are aware of the desire of the representatives of the various states in the Middle East to maintain this quiet atmosphere.”
Mr. Kennedy told King Hussein that “reasons for tension in the area still exist, not the least of which is the Arab-Israeli conflict, which remains unsolved.” Asserting that “no easy solution presents itself, “Mr. Kennedy continued:
“Nevertheless, the United States is aware of the desire of the representatives of the various states in the Middle East to maintain this quiet atmosphere, “Mr. Kennedy added.
“The United States Government and people believe that an honest solution can be found and are determined to take part in the work and the shouldering of the heavy burdens which will lead to conclusions if the parties concerned sincerely wish them to do so.
“We want to contribute to a solution of the Palestinian refugees problem on a basis of repatriation or compensation for lost property, to assist in finding a just solution to the problem of the development of the water resources of the River Jordan and to cooperate in other aspects of this complicated problem.
EMPHASIZES U. N. RESOLUTIONS; ‘JUST, PEACEFUL SOLUTION’
“I am glad that the United Nations General Assembly emphasized the need to carry out its previous recommendations regarding the refugee problem. In this connection, I wish to emphasize that my Government will continue to abide by the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly regarding refugees and that their attitude will continue to be based on the effective and unbiased implementation of these resolutions so that the refugees stand to benefit.
“Being a member of the United Nations Conciliation Commission, the United States, which is concerned with the progress of the Middle East peoples, binds itself to carry out the tasks entrusted to this commission by the United Nations. We are determined to use all our influence to insure that the commission helps to achieve a peaceful and just solution.
“I sincerely hope that all the parties directly concerned will cooperate fully in connection with any program prepared by the commission in order to guarantee the best advantages to the Palestinian Arab refugees.”
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