United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold today met with representatives of the United States, England and France to discuss the mounting Arab-Israel tension and the situation arising from the slaughter of 11 Israelis in the Negev ambush last week.
At a press conference later in the day, the UN Secretary General emphasized that he took the initiative in calling the delegates of the Big Three to the meeting because he considers that the Western Powers have “special responsibilities” in the Middle East. Asked whether he would consult the Soviet Union, which has been taking an increasing interest in Middle Eastern affairs, Mr. Hammarskjold replied that this was quite possible.
The UN Secretary General said that he expects to consult with all members of the Security Council on the latest developments in the Arab-Israel situation. To a question whether he would set a date for the Jordan-Israel parley which he convoked in Jerusalem–and which Jordan has refused to attend–Mr. Hammarskjold stated that the Jordan refusal to attend was “influenced by recent events.”
U. N. WILL NOT CALL ARAB-ISRAEL PEACE CONFERENCE
“The UN Secretary General,” he said, “must not only be impartial but appear to be impartial.” He added that he would have to be cautious in his approach to the problem of the conference and consider the right procedure. “What is necessary today,” the Secretary General declared, “is to keep the whole Palestine situation under review.”
He then made a general policy statement of the situation in the Middle East. He said that he considered it the duty of the UN Secretary General to impress on all parties in the present tension their responsibility to help the United Nations keep the situation under control.
He added that the duty of the Secretary General was to try to build up a “satisfactory situation in Palestine, ” and commented: “No one considers the present situation satisfactory.” However, when Mr. Hammarskjold was asked whether he would consider calling for a peace conference between the Arabs and the Israelis, he answered flatly, “no. “
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