Secretary General Kurt Waldheim declared today that the Camp David agreement between Israel and Egypt is “a dramatic development which will have for-reaching implications” in the future. But he declined to endorse the accord because the UN cannot offer a “real judgement” of the situation as long as the positions of the other parties in the Mideast conflict are not known.
Addressing a press conference here at the opening of the 33rd session of the General Assembly, Waldheim also said that the Camp David agreement refers to UN Resolutions 242 and 338 and noted that the Security Council will have to deal with this aspect of the Camp David accord.
He said, in response to a question, that the Palestinian issue remains the “key question” of the Mideast conflict. He described the situation in Lebanon as “extremely serious,” noting that it is part of the complex Mideast dispute. Waldheim said that he was briefed this morning by telephone on the background of the Camp David agreement by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.
The General Assembly opened this afternoon with ceremonial proceedings. But diplomats here expressed the view that the Mideast and the Camp David developments will generally dominate the three-month Assembly.
UNIFIL MANDATE EXTENDED FOR 4 MONTHS
Meanwhile, the Security Council last night extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for another four months, not six as it was expected. The vote was 12-0 in favor with the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia abstaining. China did not take part in the vote.
The resolution, drafted and introduced by the United States, renews the mandate of NIFIL until Jan. 19, 1979. The resolution called on Israel, Lebanon and all others concerned to cooperate fully with the force. The extension of the mandate for four months was an American compromise resolution after Waldheim recommended a six-month extension and the French, who have the largest contingent in UNIFIL, pressed the Council for an extension of only three months.
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