Secretary Dulles Reported Planning Action on Israel-jordan Situation

Secretary of State John Foster Dulles was reported here today planning several steps affecting the Jordan-Israel situation and involving not only the United Nations but also the member countries of the Bagdad Pact.

One of the steps is said to be a plan to set up a Bagdad Pact regional fund which would be supported largely by American money but would take over from the United States the task of supporting Jordan. Thus Jordan would be receiving its minimum of $30,000,000 a year and possibly more from a fund which, on the surface, would be controlled by Pakistan, Iraq and Turkey as members of the Bagdad group.

Another Dulles plan is reportedly to have the Security Council reconvene this week or next week on the Jordanian complaint against Israel’s afforestation project in the no man’s land area south of Jerusalem. The plan is to let Dr. Francisco Urrutia, Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold’s personal representative, continue his negotiations with Jordan and Israel regarding Mt, Scopus. However, here the Council would be offered a resolution co-sponsored by Britain and the United States ordering Israel to halt its afforestation project in the disputed area until there is a final determination as to who actually owns the land involved.

At the Secretariat here work is reported under way by British and American experts on the Middle East to re-draw the Israel-Jordan demarcation lines affecting certain frontier villages which found themselves cut off from their water supplies, grazing areas and farmlands by the armistice lines established in 1949. The thought here is that if Dr. Urrutia can get Israel and Jordan to stop bickering over Mt. Scopus, he may be asked to undertake a second step involving straightening out the frontier lines.