BRITISH WARNING TO U.N.O. AGAINST COMPELLING PARTITION

Grey River Argus, 26 April 1948, Page 5

BRITISH WARNING TO U.N.O. AGAINST COMPELLING PARTITION

NEW YORK, April 24 Britain’s Colonial Secretary, Mr Cicecn-jones, cqiu the U.N.O. .special .Assembly's i-olincal committee mere w<.s no time now to reach a permanent solution to the problem. Britain wutuu co-opeiate to me lu'dest of ner aonity in carrying our. any scop-gap measure, subject only to' nxing rugose 1 lor the linal withdrawal 0.. Bricisn troops. He said that partition was unrealistic unless it cmiici be carried out with force.

’••• cm not think any proposal for n definite settlement couid be effected, unless backed by very substantial means or enforcement," he said, “ft may result from this necessity that tne United Nations will now be obliged to aim at a more moaest objective ano. to use al fthe practical means at its disposal to prevent developments in Palestine from endangering world peace without seeking now to arrive at a final solution. lie said those delegatus insisting on the retention of the Assembly’s partition decision had to face squarelv and honestly the question: “Are their Governments prepared to participate in implementing partition?”

Mr Jones addea: “I believe it, was an honest and realistic facing of this problem which led the United States io suggest a new line of action in the hope of finding a way'out of the appalling dilemma we are in to-day. May 15 comes nearer. What is tne United Nations going to do about it?”

Mr Jones supported the French proposal for the urgent protection of Jerusalem s peoples and holy places, and he appealed to othe’’ nations to admit more displaced persons. He warned that on the withdrawal of the British Palestine was in danger of being plunged into anareny and suicidal struggles. OTHER VIEWS One delegate said later: Mr CreechJones made it clear th/; Britain now was ready to abandon her' neutral position and join tne other United Nations members in grappling directly with the Holy Land problem. India reiterated her opposition ;o partition and expressed willingness to discuss trusteeship or other emergency measures provided they were ior a short specific period. General A. McNaughton (Canada) said: “The Assembly should consider the United States proposal for a temporary trusteeship as a related measure designed to meet the emergency.” . The committee adjourned untu i Monday when it will consider emergency measures for the protection of Jerusalem. ’

France will urge the committee to authorise Ihe formation of a special volunteer police force to guard the city. United Nations headquarters at Lake Success has recalled the advance party of the United Nations Secretariat in Palest ine. JEWISH ACTION DEFENDED Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Cunningham) sent a cable to Mr CreechJones at Lake Success blaming the Arabs for the Haifa fighting saying this was “a direct consequence of consequence of continuous Arab attacks on Jews during the past four days.” He added that the Jewish attack was not a massacre . The British Army was completely impartial and th? military commander in Haifa did everything possible to stop the fighting by negotiation. From Amman, King Abdullah of Transjordan has telegraphed Lieuten-ant-General Cunningham, expressing anxiety about the situation in Palestine and saying that Transjordan might have-to intervene.