The United States and Britain will not follow a joint policy at the special session of the U.N. General Assembly on Palestine which opens next Monday, although they both oppose Arab demands for a full-dress debate on Palestine.
This was reliably learned here today as Saudi Arabia formally joined the other four Arab members of the United Nations in asking that an item be added to the Assembly agenda calling for the termination of the Palestine Mandate and for declaring the independence of Palestine.
Both American and British officials denied that their governments are conferring on the adoption of a joint policy at the Assembly. “We are preparing our own policy,” a spokesman for the U.S. delegation said. “There is no joint policy and we are not discussing any.” The American delegation will be augmented by seven State Department advisors headed by Loy Henderson, chief of the Department’s Near East Division.
Indications as to the attitude of the Soviet delegation were seen in an editorial published today in the Daily Worker, official organ of the American Communist Party. The editorial, which attracted wide attention, urged that the U.N. Assembly “must not appoint another of these interminable investigating committees.” It suggested that “Britain’s mandate over Palestine should be cancelled, and an independent Palestine organized.” It called upon the United Nations to use its good offices “to assist in the formation of a joint Arab-Jewish state, based on equal democratic rights.”
U.N. WILL BROADCAST IN ARABIC; JEWISH REQUESTS WILL NOT BE CIRCULATED
The U.N. Secretariat today revealed that its radio division is planning to broadcast daily bulletins in Arabic summarizing events at the special session. There will also be special broadcasts in Turkish and Persian beamed to countries of the Middle East. No broadcast in Hebrew is contemplated.
Secretary-General Trygve Lie told a press conference today that the text of the request of the Jewish Agency for participation – without a vote – in the deliberations of the General Assembly will not be circulated to the various delegations since the communication comes from a non-governmental body. However, notification of the request would be conveyed to each of the delegations, which can then obtain the text if they desire. A request for the seating of a Hebrew national delegation” forwarded by the Hebrew Committee for National Liberation will be handled in the same manner.
Mr. Lie disclosed that he had received a confidential communication from Britain on the question of illegal immigration to Palestine, but had been asked to hold up action on it.
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