Report of the Secretary-General under Security Council resolutions 252 (1968), 267 (1969)
and 271 (1969) and General Assembly resolution 2254 (ES-V)
1. Since the publication of the report of 20 April 1971 [S/10124/Add.1], a further exchange of communications concerning the United Nations premises at Government House in Jerusalem has taken place between the Secretary-General and the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations.
2. On 18 August 1971, the representative of Israel handed the following note to the Secretary-General in reply to the tatter's communication of 12 April 1971 [ibid., para. 3]:
"The Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations presents his compliments to the Secretary-General of me United Nations and has the honour, on instructions from his Government, to refer to the Secretary-General's note of 12 April 1971.
"The Government of Israel has examined with great care the above note and, while reserving its position as recorded in (he exchange of letters of 4 July 1967 and 22 August 1967 between the representative of Israel and the Secretary-General contained in document S/7930/Add.29, wishes to inform the Secretary-General that no changes are contemplated with regard to the situation which I has ensued from the above exchange of letters in 1967."
3. On 19 August 1971, the following note was addressed by the Secretary-General to the representative of Israel:
"The Secretary-General of the United Nations presents his compliments to the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations and has the honour to refer to the Permanent representative's note of 18 August 1971 in response to the Secretary-General's note of 12 April 1971, part II of which reiterated the Secretary-General's previous request of 26 January 1971 for the unreserved return to the United Nations of the remainder of its Government House premises.
"The Permanent representative's reply of 18 August 1971 is to the effect that the Government of Israel has examined with great care the Secretary-General's note of 12 April 1971 and, 'while reserving its position as recorded in the exchange of letters of 4 July 1967 and 22 August 1967 between the representative of Israel and the Secretary-General contained in document S/7930/Add.29, wishes to inform the Secretary-General that no changes are contemplated with regard to the situation which has ensued from the above exchange of letters in 1967'.
"The Secretary-General has carefully considered the above reply which he understands to mean that the Government of Israel, having already discontinued all construction and other work within the area of the United Nations premises at Government House as constituted on 5 June 1967, will refrain from reinitiating such construction or other work within the said area until the difference of opinion reflected in the 1967 exchange of letters has been satisfactorily resolved.
"Should the Secretary-General's understanding set out above be incorrect, the Secretary-General reiterates the observation made in his note of 12 April 1971 to the effect that 'one way of resolving any differences now arising would be to have resort to the procedure for settlement laid down in section 30 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations'.
"As in the case of the previous correspondence on the subject of Government House, the Secretary-General is arranging for the circulation of the present exchange in a report to the Security Council and the General Assembly."
* Also circulated as a General Assembly document under the symbol A/8282/Add.2.
