Thant Decides Not to Transmit Eban Questions on Terrorism to Arabs

Secretary-General U Thant advised Foreign Minister Abba Eban of Israel today that he did not believe it would be “helpful” if he were to transmit to the Arab governments questions raised by Mr. Eban about whether those governments dissociated themselves from such acts of violence as attacks on Israeli civilian airliners at Athens and Zurich and whether these governments were prepared to take steps against the organizations conducting the attacks. The Secretary-General tacitly rebuked Israel for seeking to make him a conduit for “questions or messages of a political or controversial nature” and advised that the correct course would be for a communication from the Israel Government to the Security Council.

Israel asked the Secretary-General on Feb. 19, at a personal meeting between the Secretary-General and Ambassador Yosef Tekoah, to ask the Arab Governments these two questions. Last weekend, Foreign Minister Eban wrote to Mr. Thant expressing his regret that the two questions had not been conveyed to the Arabs as requested. The Secretary-General’s letter today was in response to that communication from Mr. Eban. His letter also took issue with a statement by Mr. Eban rejecting Mr. Thant’s argument that the first step toward peace in the Mideast would be a declared readiness by all parties to implement the Security Council resolution of Nov. 22, 1967.

Mr. Eban pointed out that “the need, after 15 months, is to break out of the semantic and declaratory phase and to negotiate agreements on the concrete points at issue.” To this, Mr. Thant replied today that, “I must reiterate my conviction that an essential first step toward a just and lasting peace in the area would be a declared readiness by the parties to implement the Security Council resolution of 22 November, 1967. I certainly would not regard such a declaration as a semantic exercise.”

Mr. Thant included in his reply to Mr. Eban the text of the informal aide-memoire he gave Mr. Tekoah on Feb. 20, remarking that “you will understand, I am sure, my desire to have the full background of this matter on the record.” This document notes that “the Secretary-General has already expressed his deep concern over the Zurich incident and previous incidents of a similar nature. He is giving serious and urgent consideration to the matter, and to the steps that may be effective in helping to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the future. He believes that such steps are more likely to be productive if taken on his own initiative.” Mr. Thant noted that his good offices were available to all member governments and he would be glad to respond to requests “whenever he feels, in his discretion and judgment, that such action would be helpful.” He made it clear that he did not believe this was such a case, declaring flatly that, on the contrary, “it would not be helpful if he (the Secretary-General) were to act on the request of the Government of Israel that he should transmit certain questions to Arab Governments.”