A UN spokesman disclosed today that the Austrian Foreign Minister has inquired of Secretary General Kurt Waldheim about a possible role by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the future operation of the Jewish immigrant transit camp at Schoenau Castle near Vienna.
The spokesman said the Secretary General noted in that connection that the resolution setting forth the functions of the High Commissioner states that additional tasks and responsibilities can be undertaken only on a decision of the General Assembly. A UN spokesman who was asked yesterday about a special role for the UN at the Schoenau center replied that Soviet-Jewish immigrants in transit through Austria are not considered to be refugees.
In another development, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned that last week’s speech to the General Assembly by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt was a subject at a meeting of the Arab Foreign Ministers here today because it allegedly indicated partiality toward Israel’s position. The JTA learned that the ministers decided to take up the matter again at their meeting in Cairo Nov. 17,
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
