Chairman of U. N. Body Abstains from Voting on Jerusalem Parade Issue

The Israel-Jordan Mixed Armistice Commission, with Israel not participating and United Nations chairman, Lt. Col. George A. Flint abstaining, voted today in support of a Jordan resolution that Israel remove within 12 hours the heavy military equipment and troops brought into Jerusalem for the Independence Day parade Thursday. Col. Flint said he was abstaining because both sides had violated the armistice agreement in the dispute.

Col. Flint, in announcing the Commission action, voted for only by the two Jordanian members, called on both countries to avoid “untoward incidents” that might arise out of the action of both sides in bringing prohibited military equipment into Jerusalem.

The Commission met for two days to discuss the Jordanian complaint that Israel allegedly brought 80 tanks, 24 cannon, 12 howitzers and 900 troops to Jerusalem for the parade. Also on the agenda was the Jordan resolution asking for a United Nations order for prompt removal of the Israel troops and equipment.

Col. Flint said he regretted that Israel had not permitted UN observers to Investigate the complaint. He added, however, that Jordan had reinforced troop concentrations in old Jerusalem and had armed the soldiers with heavy weapons to an extent and quantity matching Israel’s parade contingents.

Col. Flint also said that Israel informed him and the Jordanian MAC members during January and February about the parade plans but did not give until April 17 any requested information on the number of troops nor the type of equipment planned, despite repeated requests. By that time, he noted, the equipment had already arrived.

Stressing that the banned Israel equipment had been brought in for the parade without ammunition, Col. Flint said there was no reason to doubt Israel’s stated intentions in respect to the equipment, but he added that Jordan saw risks in the concentration and had taken counter-measures. He said the main problem now was cooperation of both sides with him to prevent incidents”while the general armistice agreement was being violated by both parties.”

SAYS ARMISTICE COMMISSION WAS NOT EMPOWERED TO TAKE DECISION

In a statement explaining his abstention. Col. Flint said: “I have abstained on this resolution because I do not consider that the MAC was empowered to take a decision on the Jordanian complaint. According to the established procedure of the MAC, agreement has to be reached between the parties on the investigation of a complaint or on the admissibility of evidence in lieu thereof, before such complaints can be brought for consideration.

“The Israeli delegation,” he continued,”has refused to agree to an investigation of the Jordanian complaint. It has also refused to agree that the data on military equipment in the Jerusalem area given to the Jordan representative on the Subcommittee on April 21, 1958 be accepted by the MAC in light of an investigation. During the debate, I regretfully noted that this position of the Israeli delegation made it impossible for the MAC to proceed with the consideration of the Jordan complaint.”

Emphasizing that the decision of the MAC was taken “by the affirmative vote of one party, in the absence of the other, myself abstaining,” Col. Flint added: “As regards the way in which the present situation has developed, it should be noted that both the Truce Supervision Organization and Jordan have been faced by a fait accompli.”

An Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman said that immediately after the parade the equipment would be removed from Jerusalem. He said Israel questioned the need of holding an emergency MAC meeting on the matters.

A large fluorescent Mogen Dovid, blazing on top of Mount Scopus for the celebration of Israel’s tenth anniversary, drew the ire today of Jordan which filed a complaint of violation of the armistice agreement. The Mogen Dovid lit up the sky last night as the tiny garrison of Israelis on Isolated Mount Scopus, behind the Jordanian lines in old Jerusalem, joined in the tenth year celebration.