Discussion on Gen Cttee meeting with Arab Delegations – UNCCP 60th meeting (Lausanne talks) – Summary record

UNITED NATIONS CONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR PALESTINE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE SIXTIETH MEETING

held in Lausanne on Friday,

20 May 1949, at 10 a.m.

The CHAIRMAN informed the Commission that in an informal conversation the preceding day with Mr. Ammoun of the Lebanese delegation, he had stated that the Commission could not accept the attitude evidenced by the Arab delegations in their meeting with the General Committee, nor their refusal to discuss the territorial question. He had also made it known that the Commission expected to received the following morning a formal statement of the official Israeli position regarding the frontiers with Egypt and Lebanon, and that that position would be communicated to the Arab delegations by the Commission, acting in its role of intermediary. Mr. Ammoun, after a further consultation with the other Arab delegations, had informed the Chairman that Dr. Eytan’s statement would probably be unacceptable to his colleagues, and that the Arab delegations preferred not to have that statement formally transmitted to them by the Commission, since it would thereby, to some extent, take on the stamp of Commission approval In any case, the Arab delegations had decided to transmit to the Commission a further note on the refugee question, which was now being drafted.

The Chairman had agreed to submit to the Commission the request of the Arab delegations that Dr. Eytan’s statement should be communicated to them only unofficially, through private conversations.

Mr. YALCIN and Mr. ETHRIDGE agreed that the form in which the statement was transmitted was unimportant, provided the content of it was communicated to the Arab delegations. Mr. Ethridge felt that the essential point was that the Arabs should be persuaded to abandon their unrealistic position, and that each side should come to a clear understanding of the other’s thinking.

Mr. Ethridge thought it should also be made very clear to the Arab delegations that the Commissions action in transmitting the Israeli statement to them in no way implied that the Commission endorsed the proposals of the Israeli delegation nor considered them a fair and jest settlement.