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France Supports U.S. Proposal for Effective U.N. Action to Halt Arab-jewish War

May 21, 1948
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France joined the United States, the U.S.S.R. and the Ukraine today in pressing for immediate United Nations action to halt the Arab invasion of Palestine as Alexandre Parodi, French representative, called upon the Security Council to determine that a breach of the peace has been committed.

He rejected the legalistic arguments advanced by Britain and Syria as leading Now there and declared that the Council would fail in its duty to uphold the U.N. Charter if it did not stop so clear a violation as the aggression of the Arab states in Palestine.

“From the time that regular armed forces belonging to foreign states entered Palestine, “Parodi said, “a territory — which whatever its legal character, is certainly not theirs — it became clear that there is an actual threat to international peace.”

Columbia, which in past debates had seemed to side with the anti-partition camp at Lake Success, served notice at the same time that it may in the end vote for the strongly-worded U.S. resolution, which would lead to sanctions against the Arabs, Former President Alfonse Lopez said he would abstain on the watered-down British substitute, which precludes effective action because it is “a waste of time.”

The French delegate, referring to the plea of Gen, A.G.L. McNaughton of Canada for continued mediation by the U.N. Truce Commission and eventually by the proposed United Nations mediator, declared that only if the Council adopts the U.S. resolution will the Truce Commission and the mediator carry sufficient weight and authority to achieve resulted.

Dr. Jose Ares, Argentine delegate, indicated he will not vote for any “coercive action” by the United Nations. This was interpreted to mean he will not support the U.S. proposal, virtually assuring its failure.

The session adjourned until tomorrow morning when Soviet delegate Gromyko is subedited to speak.

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