Editorial Note
Acting Mediator Bunche, at Lake Success on January 6, made a report to the President of the Security Council, which advised that “the Government of Egypt and the Provisional Government of Israel have notified my representatives in Cairo and Tel Aviv, respectively, of their unconditional acceptance of a proposal providing for a cease-fire to be immediately followed by direct negotiations between representatives of the two Governments under United Nations chairmanship on the implementation of the Security Council resolutions of 4 and 16 November 1948.” The proposal provided that the cease-fire would be effective on January 5, but the date was postponed until the following day, “owing to unavoidable delays in cable communication with Haifa and Tel Aviv.” The effective date was finally fixed at 1200 hours GMT, January 7, “Owing to further communication delays.” The Security Council, on January 6, released the text of Mr. Bundle’s report as S/1187.
The Acting Mediator informed the Committee on the Palestinian Question of the Security Council on January 7 that he had “transmitted a formal proposal to the parties that since it was desirable for the negotiations to be held in the best possible atmosphere, they be conducted at Rhodes; He had also suggested they get under way Jan. 11 or 12.” (telegram 11, January 7, 8:22 p. m., from New York, 501.AJ Treaties/1–749)