Editorial Note
Ambassador Austin, on August 4, addressed the Security Council on the Palestine question. Near the end of his statement, he noted that the conclusion of the armistice agreements “justifies confidence in the early establishment of permanent peace in Palestine. As the Security Council foresaw in its resolution of 16 November 1948, progress toward peace in Palestine would involve a transition from a truce to an armistice, to be followed by a final settlement. Such a final settlement is the task of the Palestine Conciliation Commission, and, with the conclusion of these Armistice Agreements before us today, only the completion of the task of the Palestine Conciliation Commission remains.
“Therefore, the Security Council, as contemplated in its resolution of 16 November, may appropriately bring to an end the stringent [Page 1284] measures which were instituted to ensure more effective observance of the truce, including certain of the prohibitions of the parties included in the Security Council resolutions of 29 May 1948 and 15 July 1948. Among these was an embargo placed on the parties to the dispute and all other Governments and authorities concerned to refrain from importing or exporting war material and personnel into the affected area. These restraints, which characterized the truce period, are no longer appropriate or necessary now that we have firm commitments from the Parties in the Armistice Agreements to ref rain from all hostile activity and to adjust their differences, if any, peaceably.”
Ambassador Austin then stated that “An arms race would jeopardize the armistice and the settlement.” He asserted that the United States “does not intend to allow the export of arms which would permit a competitive arms race in the area. Export of arms to that area of the world should be strictly limited to such arms as are within the scope of legitimate security requirements, again as recommended by Dr. Bunche. We hope that prudence will prevail not only among the parties but among all nations of the world which are in a position to supply arms and that they will pursue a policy similar to that which we intend to pursue.” (SC, 4th yr., No. 36, pages 26, 27)
New York reported that during the Council’s deliberations on August 4, Mr. Bunche’s draft resolution was sponsored by Canada and supported by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Egypt, China, and Cuba. It advised also that the references to the Palestine Conciliation Commission in the Bunche draft had been replaced by references to the United Nations Chief of Staff, a change agreed to by Mr. Bunche (telegram 891, August 4, 10:55 p. m., 501.A Summaries/8–449).