The United Nations Security Council, after wrangling for over a month to determine the procedure in considering cross-complaints between Israel and Jordan, today finally succeeded in adopting an agenda over the opposition of Soviet delegate Andrei Vishinsky and Dr. Charles Malik of Lebanon, who speaks for all the Arab states at the Council.
The agenda, based on a joint Brazilian-Colombian proposal, provides for a general discussion at the Security Council in which reference may be made to either the Israel complaints against Jordan’s violations of the armistice agreement or the Lebanese complaint on behalf of Jordan against Israel’s raid on the village of Nahalin, or to both, Israel was known to favor the proposal.
The Brazilian-Colombian proposal, as adopted today, also stipulates that the Security Council is not to commit itself at this stage “as to the separate or joint character of its eventual resolution or resolutions.” Amendments to this proposal offered today by Dr. Malik were all voted down. The amendments were aimed at destroying the proposal and have the Security Council take up the Nahalin incident without discussing the Israel-Jordan situation in general.
Following the adoption of the agenda, the representatives of Jordan and Israel were invited to participate in the Security Council meeting and the Jordanian representative was given an opportunity to present his case. He spoke for about an hour reporting in detail the Nahalin incident and repeating the usual Arab allegations against Israel. He appealed to the Council to deal with the Nahalin incident separately and not in the framework of a discussion on the general Arab-Israel situation.
EBAN DEMANDS JORDAN SHOULD ACCEPT COUNCIL’S DECISION IN ADVANCE
Ambassador Abba Eban, head of the Israel delegation, in a brief address, appealed to the Security Council to improve relations between Jordan and Israel within the framework of the existing armistice agreement, and also as a transition to a permanent peace. He insisted that Jordan, as a non-member state of the UN, should agree in advance to accept any decision the Security Council may take on complaints now under discussion. He emphasized that this is provided for by Article 35 of the UN Charter.
Dr. Malik presented a draft resolution demanding that the Security Council “censure” and “condemn” Israel for the Nahalin incident as a “flagrant breach” of the armistice agreement; should instruct Israel “to apprehend and punish the perpetrators” as well as to pay damages for loss of life and property in the raid.
The meeting of the Council was then adjourned until next Tuesday.
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