A full report on the seizure by Egypt of the Israel vessel “Bat Galim, “submitted by UN Truce Chief Gen. E. L. M. Burns, was today circulated among members of the United Nations Security Council by UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold.
The Burns report, a 16-page document of complex legal terminology, was very careful merely to inform the Council of the various meetings of the Egypt-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission and of the special committee headed by Gen. Burns himself which heard Egypt’s appeal from the action taken by the MAC, Cautiously, Gen, Burns expressed no opinion whatever on any of the juridical or political issues involved, leaving such decisions to the Security Council.
The Burns report told how the issue was finally resolved in the MAC, after Egypt’s attempted filibuster of the MAC’s consideration of the complaint which Egypt itself had filed with regard to the Bat Galim. The UN truce chief reported how Egypt refused to take the MAC decision, appealed to a special committee, and finally was faced with the special committee’s decision which refused to reverse any of the substantive findings of the mixed unit. Egypt, however, is still holding the ship and the Israel crew often.
It is expected that Israel will now address a letter to the Security Council requesting another meeting on Israel’s complaint against the Egyptian blockade of the Suez Canal. Dr. Charles Malik, of Lebanon, takes over the Council presidency tomorrow and there have been some fears that he might manage to let the entire month of December go by without Council consideration of Israel’s grievance.
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