U Thant's Role in M. E Crisis: Numerous
Details of Events That Led 'to Israel's Action
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y. —
Secretary General U Thant openly
rejected in the General Assembly
emergency session Tuesday the
criticism voiced Monday by Israeli
Foreign Minister Abba Eban re-
garding the withdrawal of the
United Nations Emergency Force
from the Egyptian-Israel border in
May. In another document, outside
the assembly, Mr.
Thant also de-
clared that the
1 9 5 6 memoran-
dum by the late
Secretary General
Dag Hammarsk-
jold, which had
interpreted t h e
UN-Egyptian
agreement on
UNEF as mean-
ing that an Egyp-
U Thant
tian request for UNEF with-
drawal would have to be referred
to the General Assembly," was "a
purely private" understanding by
Hammarskjold and not binding
either on the present secretary
general or on Egypt.
As the first speaker before the
assembly's plenary meeting Tues-
day morning, Thant told the 122-
member body that for the first
time since becoming secretary
general, he felt it necessary to
reply to "certain statt.t..ents" made
before the assembly. He referred
specifically to Eban, declaring that
Eban's remarks on the UNEF with-
drawal were "highly critical" and
simile of the fire brigade which
vanishes from the scene as the
first smoke and flames appear,"
Thant said: "Mr. Eban would
Thant told the assembly: "I agree, I am sure, that for more
was rather surprised at the than 10 years UNE7 had been re-
breadth and vigor of the foreign markably effective in preventing
minister's dissatisfaction with the clashes along the line and in ex-
withdrawal decision, since in a tinguishing the flames of the raids
quite recent meeting we had dis- across the line, the terror of the
cussed that issue and at that Fedayeen."
Thant told the assembly that he
time, I had given a rather full
explanation of just why the de- had indeed engaged in consulta-
cision I took had to be taken in tions before taking his decision
the way it was and I heard no for UNEF withdrawal. He further
such reaction as Mr. Eban pro- quoted Israel's permanent UN rep-
jected to the general assembly resentative, Ambassador Gideon
yesterday (June 19) — nothing Rafael, as having told the Security
Council, on June 3: "The Secre-
like it"
Thant added: "I wish now to say tary General tried to prevent the
that I do not accept as having crisis from getting out of hand.
validity Mr. Eban's strictures on He failed. It was not his fault."
Thant concluded by informing the
this matter."
Eban had been scheduled to assembly that within a day or two
reply to Thant's statement. How- he would issue a report "giving a
ever, the floor was given instead full account of my actions in this
to another speaker, Saudi Arabia's matter."
In reference to Thant's state-
Jamil Baroody.
"can be very damaging to the
United Nations with regard to its
peace-keeping functions, past and
present."
In his rejection of Eban's re-
marks of Monday—a statement
by Thant which was much longer
than Eban's—Thant told the as-
sembly that Eban had failed to
mention analysis of the decisions
made by the secretary general
on the withdrawal. Thant told
the assembly that he was sure
that Eban was aware that Is-
rael had extended no cooperation
on UNEF to the United Nations
as had been given by Egypt.
ment that he had consultations
before the UNEF withdrawal de-
cision, it was learned here that
a memorandum of his conversa-
tions between him and other UN
officials indicated that Thant
had agreed to withdraw UNEF
before the Egyptian government
formally requested that action.
In his statement on the Ham-
marskjold memorandum, made out-
side the assembly, rejecting the
Hammarskjold interpretations as
Referring to Eban's "picturesque "purely private," Thant asserted
that he was aware of the sub-
stance of that memorandum be-
fore he went to Cairo to see Presi-
dent Nasser last month. As the
Egyptian delegation said here
Monday, Thant also reiterated
that neither the UN nor Egypt
were bound by Hammarskjold's
interpretation. Thant insisted that
the crux of the issue was the fact
that the UAR had exercised its
sovereign rights while Israel had
at no time agreed to permit UNEF
on its side of the line and Israeli
To the may hundreds who honored us at
troops have always patrolled di-
rectly along side it." He said: "On
the Israel Bond dinner on June 12,
the other hand, no one could pos-
sibly question the full right of the
and at the same time impressively gave
United Arab Republic to move its
troops to the line whenever it
encouragement to the embattled State of
might choose to do so. Orice its
Israel in its hours of need,
troops began to make such a move,
as they did in fact on the morning
our heartfelt thanks.
of May 17—more than 24 hours
before I received the request from
We are grateful for the many hundreds of
the government of the UAR for
withdrawal of the force—could no
messages from Detroit and scores of
longer perform any useful function
other communities and are deeply moved
in maintaining quiet and its con-
tinuing presence on UAR territory
by the kind sentiments expressed in them.
lost its significance."
It was pointed out here that
Thant had used exactly that for-
mulation regarding UNEF in a
statement he made before an-
nouncing his decision on with-
drawal. It was also recalled here
that Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, under-
secretary for special political af-
fairs, and the UN's principal ex
Thank
You...
THE JEWISH NEWS
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
that the UN was aware of the fact
that withdrawal of UNEF affected
not only the situation along the
Gaza Strip border but also Israel's
right of free passage through the
Tiran Strait. In none of his state-
ments explaining his action on
UNEF withdrawal has Thant taken
full account of the importance of
Sharm el Sheikh in UNEF's opera-
tions.
pert on Israel-Arab matters, had
told correspondents specifically, in
response to a question, that, within
one day after Thant announced
the withdrawal decision, both
Egyptian and UNEF troops were
already stationed at Sharm el
Sheikh. Since that location in the
Sinai Peninsula was the key to
UNEF's guardian role of Israel's
freedom of shipping through the
Strait of Tiran and the Aqaba
Gulf, Dr. Bunche's statement was
seen at the time as an admission
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, June 23, 1967-5
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