U.N. Committee Wrangles on Identifying Arab Spokesman

Another session of the General Assembly’s Special Political Committee was devoted today chiefly to a wrangle as to whether the first spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization — a para-military Arab group — was to be identified as a representative of that organization or as an individual spokesman for the Arab refugees.

The argument started when Carlet Auguste of Haiti, committee chairman, said he was ready to invite Dr. Izzat Tannous to speak because his name appeared as one of the spokesmen to be given a hearing on the Arab refugee problem. Adnan Pachachi of Iraq insisted that Dr. Tannous be introduced specifically as a representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Israel’s permanent representative, Ambassador Michael S. Comay, told the chairman that Dr. Tannous must be introduced in accordance with the terms of a resolution adopted by the committee yesterday. That formulation gave the right to a hearing to “persons.”

The argument, with other Arab delegates supporting Pachachi, Mr. Comay persisting in his view and the chairman declining to yield, lasted for more than two hours. By that time, on a motion by the French representative, the committee adjourned until tomorrow morning with the dispute unresolved.

(In Jerusalem, Israeli sources said here today that the formula under which representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization will be permitted to address the special political committee of the United Nations actually represented an achievement for Israel’s position. The Israelis contended that the gain was that for the first time the chairman of the committee formally stated this year that the right of an Arab refugees spokesman to speak before a U.N. committee does not represent any form of recognition.)