ONLY ARAB STATES VOTED AGAINST PALESTINE COMMISSION

Evening Star, Issue 26103, 17 May 1947, Page 7

ONLY ARAB STATES VOTED AGAINST PALESTINE COMMISSION

NEW YORK, May 15. The final vote formally establishing and instructing the eleven-nation inquiry commission was 46 to 7, the only opponents being the five Arab States and Turkey and Afghanistan. Siam abstained, and Haiti was absent. The Arabs abstained from voting on the Norwegian . resolution appealing for a truce, and insisted that their absentions be recorded. They also continued their demand for inclusion in the commission’s instructions of specific reference to the establishment of Palestinian independence. ■ Russia, which throughout the session strongly supported this Arab demand, surprisingly voted for the broad terms of reference recommended by the Political Committee, while other delegates pointed out that there was nothing to prevent the commission under these terms from considering Palestine’s independence or recommending anything it wishes to the next Assembly session in September. The Soviet voted in favour of the establishment of a commission, but abstained from voting on the appointment of individual members thereof, which was regarded as a mild finish to the Slav States’ long fight to force the Big Five to serve on the commission.

After the Assembly had adjourned, the United' States delegate, Senator Warren Austin, told reporters that M. Gromyko might “ have paved the way for Big Power harmony ” when He announced yesterday that Russia would support either a combined Arab and Jewish State or partition of .Palestine. He;believed that, apart from the actual appointment of the commission, M. Gromyko’s statement was the session's most important development. A Jewish Agency spokesman said the session had demonstrated that the solution of the twin problems of Palestine and the Jewish people was a world responsibility. It was gratifying that the Assembly had rejected a number of proposals which might have prejudiced the results of the inquiry, but unfortunately the Jewish Agency did not receive an adequate hearing. After the representatives of the 11 countries appointed to the commission had informally exchanged views, the Secretary-General, M. Trygve Lie, fixed May 26 for .its first meeting.