Elaboration of Point 3 of Commission’s proposals – UNCCP 249th meeting (Paris) – Summary record

UNITED NATIONS CONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR PALESTINE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINTH MEETING

Held in the Hôtel de Crillon, Paris,
on Wednesday, 10 October 1951, at 11 a.m.

ELABORATION OF POINT 3 OF THE COMMISSION’S COMPREHENSIVE PATTERN OF PROPOSALS

The CHAIRMAN invited the Commission to comment on the two draft statements prepared by the Secretariat elaborating point 3 of the Commission’s comprehensive proposals. For his own part he felt that there were some details in the draft of the verbal statement which it would be wise to omit. It should not be too lengthy and should not contain anything that would immediately call forth an unfavourable reaction. At the present stage he thought the Commission’s policy should be to indicate what its process of thought had been in making its proposals but not to reveal its final conclusions. It should therefore refrain from mentioning the actual figure to be paid by Israel as compensation for abandoned Arab property.

Mr. ARAS (Turkey) agreed, suggesting in addition that the wording of paragraph 8 of the written statement should perhaps be made clearer, so that there would be no doubt of the fact that property in the demilitarized areas and the “no man’s land” was not to be included in the, evaluation.

Mr. MARCHAL (France) also agreed.

The CHAIRMAN added that, as he saw it, the Commission’s object in its proposed verbal statement was to show that it had made every effort to consider fairly the attitudes of all the parties. He thought that at its next meeting with them, the Commission would be wise to cover the whole range of the subject, waiting till a little later to concentrate on the question of compensation. The written statement to the parties should not be handed to them yet. When the time came to do so, however, it might be helpful to inform them that, during the consideration of the question of compensation for Arab lands, the Commission would have its Land Specialist present as special adviser.

Mr. ARAS (Turkey) stressed the need for having the members of the Refugee Office, and particularly the Land Specialist, available for consultation during the General Assembly.

The CHAIRMAN proposed that the Secretariat be asked to modify their two draft texts on point 3 in accordance with the Commission’s suggestions.

It was so decided.

Mr. BARCO (United States) informed the Commission that Mr. Divon, of the Israel delegation, had called upon him and in the course of the conversation had given him to understand that the Israel authorities would refrain from making any allusion in their press communiqués to the Commission’s letter of 6 October.

The meeting rose at 11.30 a.m.