U.S. Wants General Assembly to Deal with Broad Middle East Problems

The United States does not seem yet to have any concrete overall plan for meeting the Middle East crisis, despite the fact that reports have been circulated alleging that such a plan has been prepared in Washington.

This was ascertained here today as the United Nations Security Council met in preparation for the convocation of an urgent session of the United Nations General Assembly to deal with the situation in Lebanon and Jordan. American sources here indicated that a broad Middle East program to be brought before the General Assembly is under consideration in Washington, but so far there is no plan on paper.

Israel Ambassador Abba Eban told correspondents today that he had heard nothing about any overall American plan for the Middle East, although he had five conferences in the last ten days with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Undersecretary of State Christian Herter,

Asked whether he had been told of the purported American plan to be submitted to the United Nations, for final solution of the Arab refugee problem and implementation of the Jordan River Authority project, Mr. Eban said: “I am not aware of any concrete proposals whatever which would offer prospects for finding basic solutions in tie present situation. In fact, I know of no proposals at all.”

Henry Cabot Lodge, chairman of the American delegation at the United Nations, addressing the Security Council this afternoon, said that the troubles in the Middle East are “deep seated” and the roots are “much deeper” than the Lebanese-Jordanian situation. He expressed the hope that the emergency session of the General Assembly “will want to deal with the broad and fundamental problems” besetting the Middle East,

EBAN ADVOCATES DIRECT ARAB-ISRAEL TALKS ON SETTLING CONFLICT

Prior to the opening of the Security Council meeting. Ambassador Eban accompanied by his new deputy representative here, Ambassador Arthur Lourie, had a20-minute conference with Guillaume Georges-Picot of France, this month’s president of the Security Council. Commenting later on the rumored American plan for the solution of the Middle East problems, Mr. Eban said:

“The only way we can foresee to approach these problems is through direct talks between Israel and the Arab governments.” He said he visited M. Georges-Picot “because as a Middle-Eastern nation we are interested in the agenda that is coming before the Security Council.

“We want to know the scope of the discussions to be held by the Security Council.” he stated “Neither we nor anyone else has raised any problems concerning us directly. There is nothing on the agenda that is directly in the context of the Israel-Arab situation.” Asked whether Israel expects to participate in the current United Nations debates, Mr. Eban said; “When the General Assembly convenes, we will definitely participate as a member.”

In addition to Ambassador Lodge, the Security Council was addressed today by Soviet delegate Arkady Sobelov, British delegate Sir Pierson Dixon and Lebanese delegate Dr.Karim AzKoul. None of the speakers mentioned the Arab-Israel dispute and the debate was limited to the situation in Lebanon and Jordan. Hashim Jawad, representative of the new Iraqi Government, was admitted to the Security Council as a recognized member of the Council replacing the representative of the ousted of King Faisal regime in Bagdad.