Western forces, led by the United States, are trying hard to get agreement from some Arab representatives on planning for care of the Arab refugees beyond 1960, when the present UN program for Arab refugee relief expires.
It is the efforts of these conciliatory forces working behind the scenes that is responsible for the slow pace of this year’s annual Arab refugee debate. The debate was officially opened last Friday. So far, only the United States among the Big Powers has spoken up, and only one Arab speaker has participated in this debate so far. He is Ahmed Shukairy, of Saudi Arabia. He delivered a long harangue this morning which was so typically bitter in its anti-Israeli attacks that virtually all delegates, including other Arabs, agreed it had no effect whatever.
As usual, Shukairy insisted that there was only one solution for the Arab refugee problem. That, he said, is full and absolute repatriation. Failing Israeli willingness to permit total repatriation, he told the Assembly, it should take “sanctions” which would in dude outlawry of Zionism, stoppage of all Jewish immigration into Israel, and ending of all economic aid to Israel of whatever kind.
Arthur Lourie, Israel’s Ambassador to Canada, who heads the General Assembly delegation in the absence of Abba Eban pointed out to the special political committee which listened to Shukairy that the Saudi Arabian deliberately omitted from his long statement any reference to the need for Arab repatriates to try to live in peace with Israelis.
Meanwhile, however, it was known that the Americans and some other Westerners were talking to more moderate Arabs about planning for refugee care beyond 1960. The United States made it clear yesterday, in an address by its delegate to the special committee.
George Mr. Harrison, that it considers the present refugee relief program “disappointing.” The United States is understood to want the Arabs to agree that Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold should be requested to select a committee of three outstanding personalities to present a new refugee-care plan by 1959.
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