The United Nations Security Council today started discussion of the Israeli-Syrian conflict, with Israel suggesting that the Council reserve action in the dispute while the Israeli-Syrian Mixed Armistice Commission on the spot continues to deal with the problems which precipitated the conflict.
Pointing out that the Mixed Armistice Commission had secured the agreement of Israel and Syria to four basic points of dispute, Ambassador Abba Eban, Israel’s chief delegate at the United Nations, expressed the view that proper jurisdiction remained with the U.N. truce commission in the field.
Mr. Eban, who was invited to sit at the table along with his Syrian counterpart, came to the meeting unprepared to argue the Israeli case in view of Israel’s opinion that the Security Council was not yet the place for a decision on the dispute. This seems to be the view also of the United States, Britain and France.
It was learned here today that although the United States, Britain and France have been discussing the possibility of introducing a resolution on the Israeli-Syrian dispute, no draft is yet completed. The three powers are known to feel that Security Council action is not desirable so long as the Mixed Armistice Commission is handling the problem.
(From Tel Aviv it was reported today that Israel’s Foreign Minister, Moshe Sharett, yesterday received U.S. Ambassador Monnett B. Devis and the British and French Ministers in Israel and outlined to them the stand of his government on the issues involved in the Syrian-Israeli conflict.)
In opening the meeting, the president of the Security Council, Ambassador Daniel J. Von Balluseck of Holland, reported that the U.N. truce chief in Palestine had informed the Council that Col. Georges Bossavy of France will continue as chairman of the Syrian-Israeli Mixed Armistice Commission, but that Col. de Ridder, acting U.N. truce chief, would preside at meetings of the Commission at which “incidents of the past four weeks” will be discussed.
Faris el Khouri, the Syrian representative, in an hour-long address to the meeting, reviewed the history of the Syrian-Israeli dispute and repeated in strong terms Syrian charges of violations of the armistice agreement by Israel. El Khouri said that his review of the situation was taken from the three reports of the truce supervisor to the Security Council and he suggested that these reports be the basis of the Security Council discussion of the case rather than the allegations of either side.
Eban told the Council he would reply in detail to the Syrian charges after it was determined whether the Council was the proper place to do so. At the suggestion of the British delegate, the Council decided to hear truce supervisor Gen. William E. Riley at its next session, which will probably not take place for a week.
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