Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XVIII, Arab-Israeli Dispute, 1964–1967

240. Memorandum of Conversation¹

SecDel/MC/18

New York, October 6, 1965, a.m.

SECRETARY’S DELEGATION TO THE TWENTIETH SESSION OF UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

New York, September–October 1965

SUBJECT

• Lebanon’s Water Development Plans

PARTICIPANTS

• U.S.
  • Secretary
  • Mr. Daniel Newberry, NEA
• Foreign
  • H.E. Georges Hakim, Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • H.H. Ibrahim El Ahdab, Ambassador to the U.S.

The Foreign Minister cited the agreements entered into by the Lebanese Government and by other Arab states. He stated that Lebanon stood by those agreements. He went on to emphasize that the agreements were directed largely to the use of waters arising in Lebanon. Syria, he said, was a riparian of the lower Hasbani for only a few miles of the river’s length. Referring to other aspects of Syrian plans for water diversion, the Foreign Minister explained that this part of the project had been stopped because the projected canals in Syria came too close to the frontier of Israel. Lebanon for its part, the Foreign Minister said, saw no use in going on with canal construction to link up with Syria because there would be no canal on the Syrian side for several years.

The Minister recalled that the Johnston Plan had allocated very little water to Lebanon. He said that today Lebanon’s own needs are such as to require more accessible water within its borders. The Minister spoke of a 25-year plan for development of the southern half of the country which would require enormous quantities of water. He added that the city of Beirut would also need some of the Litani River waters.

The Secretary asked the Foreign Minister what time factors the Minister had in mind in contemplating the water development plans; he very much feared that a first-class crisis was in prospect when the take-off of water reached substantial quantities. The Foreign Minister, without answering specifically, alluded to a span of ten years. The Foreign Minister expressed the hope that the United States would agree with Lebanon’s view that a primary use of water should be enjoyed by the people of the area adjacent to the water sources.

The Secretary responded that such would not be an altogether accurate interpretation of our position because the United States in general supports the Johnston scheme. The Secretary again emphasized that he saw the elements of a major crisis in the Arab approach to water utilization. The Secretary expressed the hope that the interested states would not rush ahead with their plans without allowing time for the development of other ways to solve the water problems. The Secretary noted that the quantities of water in question were small in relation to the overall requirements of the populations in the area.

The Foreign Minister responded that the Arab plans would take some time to bring to realization, but he asked that we not lose sight of the fact that Israel had gone ahead. Indeed, the Minister remarked, Israel was not using water just for the basin in the area but was diverting important quantities to the Negev. The Foreign Minister stated that Lebanon would insist on its rights and was ready to take the risks involved.

The Secretary reiterated that he could see only trouble ahead as matters were proceeding now. He emphasized the need for the United States and Lebanese Governments to keep in touch, and he expressed the hope that there would be an indefinite delay in any plan aimed at changing the basic structure of the Johnston scheme.

The Secretary asked the Foreign Minister to consider frankly the question of whether the true character of the problem was one of finding the most efficient way to get the water or whether the objective was to devise a method to keep Israel from getting it. The Foreign Minister replied that, even though the question had been at the beginning a political one, it had now become a real problem for Lebanon in the search for the water requirements of its own population.

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 347, CF 2547. Confidential. Drafted by Officer in Charge of Multilateral Organization Affairs in NR Daniel O. Newberry and approved in S on October 14. The meeting was held at USUN. The memorandum is marked Part V of V; the other four memoranda of conversation are ibid.