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  4. Document 26

26. Telegram From Ambassador Eric Johnston to the Department of State 1

Beirut , February 20, 1955—11 a.m.

836.Johnston 8. Verbatim text tentative agreement reached Beirut2 with Foreign Ministers Lebanon,3 Syria,4 Jordan,5 Prime Minister Lebanon6 in presence Riad representing Egypt follows as Johnston 9.7

Should emphasize this agreement tentative, not binding, and it was made clear to Arabs that while will do best obtain Israeli [Page 66] agreement, may be necessary return to Arab States some time in April for further consideration of issues.

My decision to identify agreement in this manner assured Syrian acquiescence, despite lack of authority of present Cabinet not yet approved by Parliament.

In brief summary Arabs have on this basis accepted division of waters proposed by me, with Jordan taking deduction of 16MCMs from rivers based on present estimated supply from wells. Satisfactory conclusion reached on storage and path paved for detailed discussion control authority. Decisions regarding hydroelectric development of special interest to Syria and some interest to Jordan necessarily deferred until further engineering calculations available.

Embassy will report on discussions Lebanese aid program indirectly connected negotiations which were limited to commitments continue 1955 and 1956 programs at about $5 million level largely on loan basis.8

Mission leaves for Jerusalem today, for talks there and in Tel Aviv in which understand Ben-Gurion will participate.

Talks in Damascus were necessarily inconclusive and will be reported in despatch.9

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 684A.85322/2–2055. Secret; Priority. Received at 8:53 a.m. Repeated to Amman, Damascus, Cairo, Tel Aviv, London, Paris, Jidda, Baghdad, Brussels, and Ankara.↩
  2. Ambassador Johnston arrived in Beirut on February 17. The summary record of Johnston’s negotiations in Beirut on February 19 with the Arab Committee, along with text of the agreed memorandum, was transmitted to the Department of State in despatch 486 from Beirut, February 24. (Ibid., 683.85322/2–2455)↩
  3. Alfred Naqqash.↩
  4. Khalid Pasha al-Azm.↩
  5. Walid Salah.↩
  6. Samih al-Sulh.↩
  7. Infra. ↩
  8. Documentation concerning the Lebanese aid program is in Department of State, Central Files, 684A.85322.↩
  9. No record has been found in Department of State files of Johnston’s conversations in Damascus.↩