The United States delegation at the United Nations today indicated that when the UN Security Council resumes consideration tomorrow of the Lebanese-Jordan complaint against Israel and the Israel charges against Jordan, the U.S. will continue to press for a full-scale debate of the overall Arab-Israel crisis despite reports that the Arab will walk out of the Council in the event such a discussion is undertaken.
Reports of the walk-out came from the Arab countries this week-end. Charles Malik, Lebanese delegate on the Security Council and the only Arab member of that body, refused to commit himself on what he will do in such a situation. At the last Council meeting on the matter, where the Western Big Three indicated they favored a full debate, Dr. Malik insisted that the Lebanese and Israeli complaints should be discussed separately, with the Jordan complaint given priority.
In UN circles it was reported today that Arab delegations here would caucus tomorrow, in advance of the Security Council session, to decide whether they would “take a walk” if they were overruled by the Council. The Arab delegates were reported to have cabled their governments for instructions and to be awaiting further instructions. Thus far the only ally of the Arabs on this question has been Andrei Vishinsky, the Soviet delegate, who is this month’s president of the Council.
There is a slight possibility that a compromise might be effected between the proposal for a fresh, overall look at all the Israel-Arab armistice agreements and the Russian-supported Arab proposal that the Arab complaint on the raid on Nahalin, in Jordan, be given separate and priority treatment. The compromise solution was suggested by Hugo Gouthier of Brazil who would have the Council debate simultaneously both the Arab complaint against Israel, and the Israel grievance about Jordanian border raids into Israeli territory. After that, the Council would take up Israel’s complaint against Jordan for the latter country’s refusal to attend a conference to review the Israel-Jordan armistice agreements.
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