V.M. Molotov, Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, has corrected himself on what appears to have been an unintended slur against Israel during a major speech before the General Assembly here. In his address in the general debate on Sept. 23, Mr. Molotov, in discussing various countries that have gained independence since World War II, mentioned four members of the Arab League Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Libya–then referred to Israel by implication only with “et cetera.”
Several days later Mr. Molotov told Jewish correspondents here that his failure to mention Israel by name was not intended as a slur and asked the correspondents to include Israel when referring to that speech. The correspondents refused to make such a correction on the grounds that the Soviet Union’s Foreign Minister could do so officially if he chose to.
Today it appears that Mr. Molotov, using the Russian news agency. Tass, which is frequently used for official announcements, did make the correction. Copies of Moscow’s “Pravda” reaching here, carrying the Tass report of the Molotov speech, included Israel in the Middle East section along with the Arab countries, and eliminated the “et cetera.”
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