Security Council Expected to Vote Today on Censure of Syria

The Security Council, which has debating for a week and a half an urgent Israeli complaint against Syrian aggressions, and a Syrian counter-grievance against Israel, is expected to reach the voting stage tomorrow on an Anglo-American draft resolution and on amendments proposed by Morocco, with the backing of the Soviet Union.

Morocco introduced its amendments to the draft previously introduced by the United States and Britain. The Anglo-American draft would condemn strongly the murder of two young Israeli farmers at the Israeli kibbutz of Almagor, on the Syrian frontier, on August 19, and would indicate clearly that the blame was Syria’s. But the amendments would only express the Council’s “regrets for the death of two persons at Almagor,” Additionally, the Moroccans want the Council to record its dissatisfaction with Israel’s boycott of the Syrian-Israeli Mixed Armistice Commission.

Predictions were made freely here today that the Moroccan amendments would not be accepted. The United States and Britain are standing fast by their original draft. The Soviet Union indicated clearly here this weekend that it would veto the draft co-sponsored by the U.S.A. and Britain. Since seven or eight of the 11 Council members are expected to favor the Western draft, its adoption would have the moral force of an implied rebuke to Syria, and an endorsement of the Israel position on this issue.

COMAY CALLS AMENDMENTS ‘ABSURD’; U.S., BRITISH FIRMNESS PRAISED

Israel has made it clear that the Moroccan amendments are unacceptable to its Government. Michael S. Comay, Israel’s permanent representative here, has called the amendments “absurd,” declaring that their adoption would constitute “a travesty.” He called attention to the fact that, even now, while Israel’s complaint is pending before the Council, there have been new shootings against Israelis from the Syrian side of Israel’s northern border.

The Council session for consideration of this latest Syrian-Israeli dispute has been under way, with many delays, since August 24, in spite of the fact that Israel had labeled its call for a Security Council meeting as “urgent.” The delays have been due mainly to filibustering by the Soviet Union in response not only to Morocco-the only Arab state currently on the Council-but also to concerted pressures employed by all the members of the Arab bloc here. Iraq joined the pressure efforts formally this weekend, by sending a letter to the president of the Security Council, calling in effect for condemnation of Israel instead of censure of Syria.

However, both the United States and Britain have insisted that the implied rebuke to Syria must go through. Their firmness on this point has been called very encouraging by many diplomatic friends of Israel here who have pointed out that this is the first occasion in eight or nine years that the Washington and London administrations showed themselves willing to censure an Arab state.

Tomorrow’s meeting of the Security Council will have a new president, Jacinto Castel Borja, of the Philippine Islands. He will take his seat as head of the Council in accordance with the traditional, rotating system under which a different member heads the Council each month. During the debate of the current Israeli-Syrian issue until now, the Council president has been Sivert A. Nielsen, of Norway.