PLEDGE TO ARABS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19894, 23 March 1939, Page 3

PLEDGE TO ARABS

VIEWS AT VARIANCE McMAHON LETTERS OPINION OF COMMITTEE EXCLUSION OF PALESTINE (Elec. Tol. Copyright —United Press Assn.) * (British Official Wireless.) Reccl. 9 a.m. RUGBY. March 21. The report of the committee set up 'by the United Kingdom and the Arab delegations to the Palestine conference to consider the McMahon correspondence is published as a White Paper. The committee cites the contentions of the two sides regarding the meaning of the correspondence and then states: "Both the Arab and the United Kingdom representatives have tried — as they hope with success —to understand the point of view of the other. But they have been unable to reach agreement upon the interpretation of the correspondence. "The ’'British representatives, however, informed the Arabs that the Arab contentions, as explained to the committee, regarding the interpretation of the correspondence, especially their contentions relating to the meaning of the phrase ‘portions of Syria lying to the west of the districts of Damascus land homes and Aleppo’ have greater force than appeared hitherto. Support to Independence "Furthermore, the British representatives informed the Arabs that they agree that Palestine was included in the area claimed by the Sharif of Mecca in his letter of July 14, 1915, and that, unless Palestine was excluded from that area later in the correspondence, it must be regarded as having been, included in the area which Britain was to recognise and support the independence of the Arabs. "They maintain that, on a proper construction of the correspondence, Palestine was, in fact, excluded. But they agree that the language in which its exclusion was expressed was not so specific and unmistakable as it was thought to be at the time.” The committee also considered other documents and events to see what light they had on the meaning or intention of the correspondence. It was beyond the committee's scope to pronounce on the proper interpretation of these various statements. Interests of Inhabitants The report concludes: "The opinion of the committee on these statements is that Britain is not free to dispose of Palestine without regard for the wishes and interests of the inhabitants of Palestine and these statements must all be taken into account in any attempt to establish the responsibilities which,' upon any interpretation of the correspondence, Britain has incurred towards those inhabitants as a result of the correspondence.” The representative of the Transjordan Government at the Palestine conference, Taufiq Pasha Abul Huda, the chief Minister of Transjordan, is remaining- in London to discuss with the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, a number of questions concerning Transjordan.