The Security Council will hold a meeting here tomorrow afternoon to start considering Israel’s complaint against Syria, accusing the Damascus Government of repeated “grave” aggressions. At the same time, the Security Council will consider a second item on its agenda, resulting from Syria’s counter-complaint against Israel, likewise charging Israel with “aggression. “
Announcement that the Council session has been scheduled for tomorrow was made by Norway’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Sivert A. Nielsen, this month’s Council president. The announcement came after a series of rapid-fire conferences begun this morning and continued all day by Israel’s permanent representative, Michael C. Comay, who returned here last night after interrupting a vacation in Israel.
While the Syrians tried hard behind the scenes to delay the Council meeting, despite Israel’s labeling of its complaint against Syria as “urgent, ” Ambassador Nielsen agreed to opening the Council’s hearing into Israel’s grievance tomorrow. Important members of the Council, including, it was believed, the United States, had urged postponement of the session until “at least Monday. “
Mr. Comay’s conferences, and scheduled, talks on the issue, “touched all bases,” as diplomatic observers here characterized his activities. He met today with Secretary General U Thant. Then, in rapid order, he conferred with the ranking diplomats here representing the United States, Britain, France, Venezuela, Nationalist China, the Philip pine Islands, Ghana and Brazil.
Tomorrow, prior to the Council meeting, Mr. Comay is scheduled to talk to the Russian delegation. Thus–since Mr. Nielsen’s status here includes his Norwegian Ambassadorship as well as the current Council presidency –Mr. Comay has seen or will see every one of the Council member diplomats except Morocco’s. Morocco, a Moslem state, does not recognize Israel.
(In Washington, it was learned, Israel’s Ambassador Avraham Harman was scheduled to confer tomorrow morning with Under Secretary of State W. Averell Harriman.)
LIST OF 98 SYRIAN AGGRESSIONS BEFORE COUNCIL; UNTSO REPORT EXPECTED
At tomorrow’s Council meeting, it was expected that speeches will be made only by Mr. Comay and by Syria’s permanent representative here, Salah El-Dine Tarazi, after which the Council would adjourn until Monday. One of the items in Mr. Comay’s presentation to the Council will undoubtedly include a list of 98 separate aggressions by Syria against Israel in the last nine months. Mr. Comay presented the detailed list to the Council members last night.
It was believed here that, by Monday, there will be a report on this week’s flare-up of Syrian Israeli fighting and tensions from Lt. Gen. Odd Bull, chief of staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, who went to Damascus yesterday to discuss the conflicts with the Syrian Government. Thus, the adjourned session on Monday would have the full versions of the conflict from all three sides relevant to the issue–Israel, Syria and the UN’s chief officer on the spot.
There was no doubt here, however, that the scheduling of the meeting for tomorrow constituted at least a tactical victory for Israel. While none of the Israelis would say so, they were very vigorously pressing for an early session, hoping that the opening of the Security Council debate might have a deterrent effect on Syria, to keep it from making any more assaults against Israel.
(Syrian gunfire erupted again on Israel’s northern frontier last night, according to a dispatch received here today. Syria attacked four times during the night in the Huleh area, near the location where two Israeli youths were killed by the Syrians earlier this week.)
Meanwhile, the 13 Arab delegations here announced today they held a meeting last night, agreeing to express their unanimous support of Syria. Accusing Israel of “aggression, ” as Syria did in its counter-grievance to the Council, the Arab delegations said they “reaffirmed their governments’ attitude that any attack on any Arab state amounts to an attack against all Arab countries. “
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.
