U.N. Political Committee Expected to Vote on Israeli Membership Application Today

The United Nations Ad Hoc Political Committee adjourned here late yesterday following a 25,8 vote upholding a ruling by Gen. Carlos Romulo, chairman, to limit discussion of Israel’s application for United Nations membership to the 23 speakers on his at list the outset of the meeting. Each speaker was further instructed to keep his speech down to ten minutes.

Observers here predicted that as a result of this setback for the Arab bloc seeking to postpone a decision on the Israeli bid, a final vote on the application would probably be taken by the Ad Hoc Political Committee by tomorrow evening. The Arab delegations here are generally believed to be pressing for a drawn-cut discussion so that the actual vote will not be taken at this session by May 14–target date for the conclusion of the present session–and will have to be put off until the next session in September.

Earlier, the Syrian delegation served notice that the Arab filibuster would not be cut off by launching into a repetitive two-hour oration after Canada and China had urged the Committee to welcome Israel as the 59th member of the United Nations.

As the morning session opened, Israeli representative Aubrey Eban gave the Israeli reply to a question posed Friday by Denmark on the reconcilability of Israel’s announced stand on the Arab refugee question with the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter.

ISRAEL WILL ADHERE TO U.N. CHARTER FAITHFULLY, EBAN DECLARES

Eban declared that Israel accepts the whole of the Charter and will adhere to it faithfully. It had shown its desire for friendly relations with the Arab states by agreeing to negotiate a peace settlement, he said. It was the Arabs who had yet to agree that this was the purpose of the Lausanne conference.

He cited the Conciliation Commission’s second report which points out that the refugee problem can be solved only through a cooperative effort at rehabilitation and development among the governments concerned. This question, he asserted, could not be separated from the broader question of a peace settlement.

R.C. Riddell of Canada warmly supported the Israeli application. In his view the questions of Jerusalem, Arab refugees and the assassination of Count Folke Bernadotte had no place in the membership debate. That was the responsibility of the Conciliation Commission to work out with the Arab and Israeli representatives at Lausanne, he said. The Canadian delegation was satisfied with Eban’s assurances that Israel would fully cooperate with the United Nations in solving these problems, he added.

Dr. R.F. Tsiang of China said that the Israeli declaration was not wholly satisfactory to all delegations but that Israel was no less interested than the United Nations in safeguarding the Holy Places, restoring peace and solving the refugee Problem. Israel’s anxiety to enter the family of nations was legitimate and understandable from the point of view of a young country seeking international recognition and Prestige, he declared.