Members of the United Nations Security Council engaged in intensive consultations throughout the day today seeking agreement on the text of a draft resolution sponsored by the United States, which would condemn the Israeli airstrike on commando bases in southern Lebanon on August 11 but would also condemn all violations of the cease-fire.
The American draft apparently was running into heavy criticism from the Arabs and their supporters and, as of late this afternoon, could not command the nine votes necessary for adoption in the 15-member Security Council. A spokesman for the United States mission disclosed earlier in the day that language difficulties were being encountered in the negotiations.
The U.S. draft resolution, which had the backing of other Western powers, also deplored the extension of fighting in the Lebanese-Israeli area as a result of recent incidents, called on both sides to refrain from incidents and to observe the cease-fire and warned that further disregard of Security Council resolutions would result in consideration by the Council of how to give effect to its resolutions a warning of more drastic action.
The United States took the initiative in consultations on the draft resolution when it could not accept a Pakistan-sponsored text that condemned Israel without any reference to the attacks that had led to the Israeli reprisal.
LEBANESE DUCK DIRECT REPLY ON OBSERVERS, WANT MIXED ARMISTICE COMMISSION RESTORED
The Lebanese Government notified Secretary-General U Thant today that it was prepared, “should the need arise” to agree to strengthening the machinery of the 1949 Lebanese-Israeli armistice agreement, but evaded a direct answer to Mr. Thant’s proposal that both Lebanon and Israel agree to the stationing of United Nations observers on their territory “with the function of observing and maintaining the Security Council cease-fire.”
(The Christian Science Monitor reported from Beirut that Premier Rashid Karami, who heads Lebanon’s caretaker government, is opposed to the stationing of United Nations observers in Lebanon. “Other Lebanese leaders,” the paper said, “have said they welcome reactivation of the Israeli Lebanese Mixed Armistice Commission, a force of six observers under command of a French colonel, set up in 1949 and still meeting occasionally.”)
The Lebanese reply to Mr. Thant argued that the 1949 armistice “remains valid and applicable”. It asserted that the agreement “contains no clause for unilateral termination of its application and therefore could not be revoked unilaterally.” Israel’s position has been that Lebanon and the other Arab states abrogated the armistice agreements by making war on Israel in 1967.
The Lebanese reply noted that a mixed armistice commission had been set up under the armistice agreement and that the commission’s observers continued to be stationed in Lebanon and “their status was not altered after the June war of 1967.”
The Lebanese note complained that “for more than two years, the United Nations observers have not been able to fulfill their mission because Israel does not allow them to operate on the Israeli side of the armistice line. It expressed the hope that the Secretary-General and the Security Council will take the necessary steps to have Israel “scrupulously abide by the armistice agreement and allow the United Nations observers to resume their functions and discharge their duties thereof.”
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