Amazement was expressed here by leading delegates to the United Nations at the deliberate snubbing of Israel’s Foreign Minister, Mrs. Golda Meir, by Mongi Slim, representative of Tunisia, who is now President of the UN General Assembly The snub was termed by delegates here as a violation of the rules of etiquette and as “poor diplomatic Judgment.”
The snub took place yesterday at an informal reception held by President Kennedy after his address to the Assembly. In the reception line were also Assembly President Slim, Mrs. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and U.S. delegation chairman Adlai Stevenson. As the chairmen of all UN delegations moved forward in the reception line, Mrs. Meir came along as head of Israel’s delegation, with Israel’s permanent representative, Michael S. Comay, behind her.
When Mrs. Meir reached the official reception line and was ready to put out her hand to Mr. Slim, the Assembly President turned his back on her and engaged in a conversation with the outgoing Assembly President, Frederick H. Boland of Ireland. Mrs. Meir. followed by Mr. Comay; then shook hands with President Kennedy and the others in the reception line, and continued on her way.
The tactless action of Mr. Slim has raised today the question among various UN delegations as to whether he is fit to occupy the post of Acting Secretary General of the United Nations to which he aspires. It was pointed out that such a position for Mr. Slim would put Israel in jeopardy, since the late Mr. Hammarskjold had personal responsibilities in many functional areas affecting Arab-Israeli disputes.
The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, the four mixed armistice commissions–consisting of representatives of Israel, and the Arab states–as well as the UN Emergency Force and the Palestine Conciliation Commission–all of these vital Middle East agencies are directly under the authority of the UN Secretary General. So, also, is the UN Relief and Works Agency for Arab refugees.
Mr. Slim, as the former permanent representative of Tunisia, is now the outstanding personality among all the Arab and Moslem states at the United Nations, As a Moslem state and a member of the Arab League, Tunisia does not recognize Israel.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
