Republican Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan said the United States should suspend its financial contributions to the United Nations if the UN General Assembly voted to expel Israel.
Reagan, on a campaign swing of New York and Pennsylvania, made that remark to reporters yesterday — two days after President Carter declared in New York that the expulsion of Israel would raise questions about the U.S. remaining in the world organization and one day after Syrian Foreign Minister Abdul Halim Khaddam urged the General Assembly to suspend Israel from membership.
Reagan noted that under the UN Charter, a member can be expelled or suspended only at the recommendation of the Security Council and, in that event, the U.S. should exercise its veto power.
If this failed, “We should suspend our contributions to the United Nations and urge our friends to do the same until the rights of Israel are fully respected,” Reagan said. “If we are determined and make clear that we will protect our interests and our friends, I am confident the attempt to deprive Israel of its rights in the United Nations can be deterred.”
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