The 39th session of the General Assembly opened this afternoon, seemingly in a conciliatory mood in view of the upcoming meeting between President Reagan and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko on September 28 in Washington.
But diplomats here said today that the issue of the Middle East conflict will probably again dominate the meetings and discussions of the General Assembly this year as it has in past years.
MOVE TO DENY ISRAEL’S CREDENTIALS
According to diplomats, Iran, Libya and Syria have been engaged in intensified efforts to deny Israel its credentials when the Credentials Committee presents its report for General Assembly approval. According to the diplomats, the three extremist countries have been lobbying in various capitals, especially among Moslem countries, to join in a vote to suspend Israel from the current session. If Israel’s credentials are denied, it is, in effect, suspended from the General Assembly.
Two years ago, when Iran started to push the move to suspend Israel, it had only eight supporting votes. Last year the number of countries joining Iran’s motion rose to 43. According to Ambassador Aryeh Levin, the Acting Ambassador of Israel to the UN, the number of countries supporting the Iranian move this year could increase to 48-50.
But, Levin explained today in a briefing for Israeli reporters, the Iranian move is expected to be thwarted as it was last year, by a motion to set aside the Iranian request until the end of the General Assembly. The Iranian plan thereby would be ignored by the Assembly. The set-aside motion last year was introduced by Norway and the similar motion this year is also expected to come from one of the Scandinavian countries.
REAGAN, SHAMIR TO ADDRESS THE ASSEMBLY
Meanwhile, the general debate of the General Assembly will open next Monday with an address by President Reagan. Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir of Israel will be present during Reagan’s address.
Shamir is scheduled to arrive here this Sunday and to remain in New York for 10 days to two weeks. He will address the General Assembly October 3. During his stay in New York, Shamir is expected to meet with about 30 Foreign Ministers from around the world. These include Secretary of State George Shultz and the Foreign Ministers of Britain, France and other European nations as well as of countries of Africa and South America.
The new Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Binyamin Netanyahu, is expected to arrive in New York by the end of this week. He will present his credentials to Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar next week. The Israeli delegation to the General Assembly will be strengthened by seven more members, due here from Israel.
The President of Argentina, Raul Alfonsin, who will address the General Assembly next Monday, will probably meet next week with Shamir.
According to Levin, the major Middle East issues will be dealt with during the Palestinian and Middle East debates when the Palestine Liberation Organization and Arab countries will press again for an international peace conference on the Middle East.
The Middle East also will figure in the Security Council when, on October 19, the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) comes up for extension; and on November 30 when the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observers Force (UNDOF), which separates Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, is also scheduled for extension. The mandates of both are expected to be extended.
Levin noted that the Arab Foreign Ministers are having a meeting in Tunis on September 23, before their arrival in New York for the General Assembly. The Arab Foreign Ministers could, if they so wish, revive the issue of Israeli settlements at the Security Council.
The major general issues at this year’s General Assembly will be economic and disarmament questions and the threat of famine in Africa. “But the most noisy debate and shouting will take place about the Middle East and Israel,” one diplomat remarked here today.
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