Secretary General U Thant is planning to meet late this afternoon with the President of the Security Council, Toru Nakagawa of Japan, to discuss implementation of the resolution adopted by the Council Saturday night which declared invalid any changes by Israel in the status of Jerusalem. The resolution–passed by a vote of 14-0 with Syria abstaining–confirmed “in the clearest possible terms” that all legislative and administrative actions taken by Israel to change the status of Jerusalem are totally invalid and cannot change that status.
The resolution also asks Thant to take whatever measures he deems fit to implement the resolution’s intent and to report back to the Council. It is expected that Thant will appoint a representative or delegation to go to Jerusalem, although Israel has served notice in advance that it would not admit emissaries for that purpose. Meanwhile, Thant cancelled tonight’s working dinner with the Big Four foreign ministers. The official explanation of the cancellation of the dinner, to which UN special Mideast envoy Gunnar V. Jarring had also been invited, was US Secretary of State William P. Rogers’ inability to attend. Rogers is in Alaska with President Nixon who is meeting Emperor Hirohito of Japan.
UN observers stated, however, that the meeting could have been held without Rogers’ presence, but was called off because Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko would not attend without Rogers. A spokesman for Thant said schedule conflicts precluded re-scheduling the dinner, but as in previous years, Thant will host separate working lunches with the four foreign ministers between now and Oct. 8. These meetings were set up over the weekend after Rogers announced he would be unable to attend the dinner scheduled for tonight.
Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban conferred for 90 minutes today at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel with the British Foreign Secretary, Sir Alco Douglas-Home. Sources said Britain is eager to renew activities toward an interim Middle East arrangement to reopen the Suez Canal. Also today, Eban hosted a lunch for 13 foreign ministers and Dr. Jarring.
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