Approval of procedures for negotiation in forthcoming meetings in Geneva, refugees’ compensation – UNCCP 154th meeting (Geneva) – Summary Record

UNITED NATIONS CONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR PALESTINE

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOURTH MEETING

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva,
on Monday, 15 May 1950, at 11 a.m.

* Alternate

The CHAIRMAN recalled that it had been agreed at the previous meeting that the Commission should that day decide on the publicity to be given to its note of 11 May to the Governments of the Arab States and the Israeli Government. All the Governments concerned should by now be in possession of the note, and the Egyptian and Israeli delegations had already acknowledged its receipt.

Hence the time seemed to have come to issue a press release regarding the note.

The PRINCIPAL SECRETARY asked whether the press release should merely state that the Commission, following on the replies from the Arab Government and the Israeli Government to its Memorandum of 29 March 1950, had sent the Governments concerned a note on the subject of the negotiations which, it proposed, should take place in the early future, or whether the contents of the note should be summarized.

Mr. de BOISANGER (France) thought it might be stated that the replies by the various Governments to the Commission’s Memorandum of 29 March 1950 voiced no objection to the application of the procedure suggested by the Commission. To preclude any possible confusion, it would also be necessary to specify that the Commission had requested the Governments to send representatives fully empowered to act on their behalf, to negotiate in the Mixed Committees.

The CHAIRMAN endorsed Mr. de Boisanger’s suggestions and agreed that it should be stated that the replies of the various Governments offered the possibility of putting into effect the procedure envisaged by the Commission in its Memorandum. It night be preferable, he submitted, not to mention the date proposed by the Commission for the opening of negotiations in Geneva, and to state simply that the negotiations in question would take place at an early date.

The PRINCIPAL SECRETARY read out a draft text for the press release:

“Having considered the replies of the parties to its memorandum of 29 March 1950, the Conciliation Commission has concluded that these replies offer the possibility of putting into effect the procedure envisaged in the above memorandum. In a note dated 11 May, addressed to the Governments concerned, the Commission has therefore expressed the hope that in the negotiations of the Mixed Committees to be established under this procedure, those Governments will be represented by delegates fully empowered to act on their behalf. The Commission has informed the interested parties that those negotiations could begin in Geneva at an early date.”

The draft text of the press release was approved and it was decided to communicate it without delay to the journalists accredited to the United Nations.

2. Organization of the Commission’s work

The CHAIRMAN suggested that during the current week the Commission should concentrate on organizational questions with a view to deciding on a working method for the negotiations scheduled to open on 23 May.

The Secretariat, he announced, was engaged in preparing a document on the matter which the Commission could examine at its meeting the following day.

Mr. de BOISANGER (France) said he had had a talk with Mr. Mostafa on the question of the compensation to be granted to the refugees and had pointed out in that connection that the Commission would first of all have to go into the matter with the Israeli Government, which was to grant that compensation. The Commission should, he thought, do so fairly soon, since the settlement of the compensation question would undoubtedly contribute towards a settlement of the refugee problem.

The CHAIRMAN observed that judging by the present trend of the refugee situation, it looked as if the refugees were gradually coming to accept the idea of staying where they were in view of the disappointments experienced by many refugees who had sought to return to their homes. That new situation might possibly facilitate the settlement of the refugee question. In any case, if the Israeli Government sent delegates fully empowered to act on its behalf in the forthcoming negotiations, it might be feasible to take up with them the refugee question in general and the compensation question in particular.

The meeting rose at 11.45 a.m.