Memo on refugees/Ctte. on Jerusalem’s draft proposal for an international regime — UNCCP 58th meeting – Summary record

UNITED NATIONS CONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR PALESTINE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE FIFTY-EIGHTH MEETING

held in Lausanne on Wednesday,

18 May 1949, at 10 a.m.

Memorandum on Refugees

The CHAIRMAN asked whether the Commission now wished to discuss the memorandum on refugees, drafted by the Secretariat to be handed to the Israeli delegation. He thought the memorandum could later be communicated to the Arab delegations also, for their information.

At the suggestion of Mr. Ethridge, it was decided that the delegations would communicate their amendments to the Principal Secretary individually, for incorporation into the text.

Report of the General Committee

At the request of the Chairman, Mr. de la TOUR DU PIN (Chairman, General Committee) summarized briefly the discussion which had taken place in the Committee’s first meeting with the Israeli delegation (see Com.Gen./SR.2).

The CHAIRMAN suggested that at the Committee’s first meeting with the Arab delegations, those delegations should be informed of the position taken by the Israeli delegation; the Chairman of the Committee should, however, make it clear that the Commission took no stand in the matter. The Chairman held the view that as a general rule any opinions expressed to the Committee by one party should be communicated to the other, unless a request to the contrary were made; all delegations should be informed promptly that that general policy would be followed.

The Commission approved the Chairman’s suggestion.

Committee on Jerusalem: Draft Proposal for an International Regime

The CHAIRMAN drew attention to the provisional draft proposals for an international regime for Jerusalem prepared by the Committee on Jerusalem. In view of the fact that conversations were continuing, in the special committee appointed under the terms of the armistice, and that contrary to the views of the General Assembly a possible division of sovereignty in the Jerusalem area was probably being discussed in that committee, he thought the Commission’s examination of the draft proposals should not be postponed too long. The draft had not yet been approved in final form by the Jerusalem Committee, but the Commission could give its informal approval in principle in order that the individual members might submit the document to their Governments. He personally considered the plan in general acceptable and was ready to present it to his Government.

Mr. YALCIN also approved the document in principle and would submit it to his Government as soon as it had been accepted in final form.

Mr. ETHRIDGE felt that the time had not yet come for the Commission to give its formal approval to a Statute; informally, however, he would be glad to discuss and accept the draft. He approved the document in principle, but there were certain points of a technical nature which he wished to discuss with the Legal Adviser; he asked for more time to study the document. He also would eventually submit it to his Government for approval.

He suggested that the Committee should advise the Arab and Israeli delegations as soon as possible that the Jerusalem Committee was ready to conclude its work and would be glad to receive the replies to its questionnaires.