The Soviet Union, in a surprise move, submitted a draft resolution to the Security Council this afternoon which Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily Kuznetsov claimed contained “all the key elements for a political solution” of the Middle Eastern crisis but which Israel’s Foreign Minister Abba S. Eban characterized, in his initial comment, as a “backward-looking resolution.”
Nevertheless, observers here were quick to note that for the first time, the Soviet Union had presented a resolution which did not contain condemnation of Israel or demands for compensation to the Arab states for losses that they suffered during last June’s Six-Day War. They also noted that the resolution made no mention of dispatching a representative of the Secretary General to the Middle East.
The Soviet draft called for the immediate withdrawal of “both parties” to the positions they held on June 4, 1967. It affirmed the rights of every country in the area, including Israel, to live in peace and security, forbade the threat or use of force and called for an end to belligerency and the “wasteful arms race.” The Soviet draft stressed the need of working with all parties for a just solution of the Middle East problem and called for a just settlement of the refugee question and free passage through international waterways “in accordance with agreements.”
The Soviet resolution came as the Security Council reconvened this afternoon with the intention of voting on the British draft resolution presented by Lord Caradon last week. In view of the last minute entry of a Soviet draft, the Council agreed to postpone the vote and adjourned until Wednesday afternoon.
Mr. Eban, in a statement following introduction of the Soviet draft, said that he reserved the right to comment fully on that document at a later time. He reiterated that Israel’s policy “has not and will not change,” namely that Israel will maintain and respect the cease-fire lines until they are replaced by peace treaties with her Arab neighbors.
Mr. Eban also denied charges made by the Jordanian Foreign Minister, Abdul Monem Rifai, that Israelis fired this afternoon on the Jordanian town of Karama, killing 3 children and 9 adult civilians and seriously wounding 25 others and destroying a mosque. Mr. Eban said that the Jordanian report was “false and tendentious.”
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