501.BB Palestine/4–1848: Telegram
The Ambassador in Egypt (Tuck) to the Secretary of State
382. Azzam Pasha called yesterday to convey confidentially reaction Arab League to truce proposals suggested by UN to Arabs and Jews. Azzam said the “general lines” or instructions which would be sent representatives member states Arab League N.Y. as agreed upon by League Political Committee in which Arab Higher Committee is represented are:
- 1.
- League accepts in principle idea of an armistice or truce.
- 2.
- League will insist, however, that status quo of belligerents must be maintained. The truce in other words must not be used to increase armaments or number of belligerents through “infiltration by [land?] and/or sea”.
- 3.
- This truce in League opinion is not an ordinary truce between belligerents but must have as its objective the bringing about of a final settlement and making further hostilities impasible.
- 4.
- Such a truce should give UN opportunity to seek pacific solution.
- 5.
- Partition in opinion of League is not a, pacific solution since it can be implemented only by force. Therefore, it cannot be considered as a solution.
- 6.
- The League with a view to making this truce instrument of final pacification and rendering further fighting impossible is prepared to cooperate in complete disarmament population of Palestine, dissolution of all parliamentary organizations and dismantling of all military strongholds.
No other conditions were mentioned by Azzam. He stated his intention of informing British Ambassador of above and added he had already telephoned gist of it to his UN representative in New York. See also mytel 357, April 12.1
- Not printed.↩