The question of what international body should deal with refugee problems following the liquidation of UNRRA was discussed today at the meeting here of the steering committees of the United Nations Preparatory Commission.
Commenting on a British suggestion that the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Organization assume the functions of the Intergovernmental Committee for Refugees, South African delegate Fouries stressed the urgency of the problem, pointing to the fact that UNRRA is scheduled to go out of existence next year,and that the Intergovernmental Committee does not have a sufficiently wide mandate to handle the problem.
A Soviet delegate stressed that the question of the refugees demands agreement among all the governments concerned. He said that without such agreement, the work will be “sterile,” and asked that concrete proposals be presented. The delegate from Egypt, on the other hand, said that the British recommendation was superflucus. The debate was adjourned until a concrete resolution is drafted.
At the same time, the steering committee denied a request by the World Jewish Congress that it be given copies of the material prepared by the preparatory commission. British delegate Philip Noel-Baker said that while such material could be made available to governments, such as Sweden and Switzerland, who are not members of the UNO, it could not be given to private organizations.
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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.
