Evening star., 1947-09-26
BY the Assoeiofed Press

LAKE SUCCESS, Sept. 90
The tert OF Britain's policy
speech deliuered to the United
Nations Assembly's Ertraordi-
nary Committee on Palestine to-
day by Colonial Secretary Arthur
Creech-Jones::
/. It will be for the convenience
of this committee If I, on behalf of
his majesty's government in the
United Kingdom. make a statement
at the beginning Of our delibera-
tions. I appreciate the opportunity
afforded me and I shall be brief.
His majesty's government is in a
special position as the mandatory
power at present administering
Palestine. We have before us a
proposal involving certain assump-
tions concerning the future attitude
of my government. You are there
fore entitled to know before you
proceed very far in your discussions,
to what extent those assumptions
are justified.
2. congratulate the Special Com
mittee on the way In which they
have carried through their difficult
task and the expedition they have
shown in presenting their report In
time for consideration by this As
sembly. The Special Committee have
made recommendations to the As
sembly of two kinds. There are IL
recommendation of general char
acter, II of which are put forward
unanimously and the 18th by a sub
stantial majority of the committee.
These are followed by two detailed
proposals for the future government
of Palestine, one supported by a
majority of seven members and the
other by a minority of three.
g.. can say at once that the
United Kingdom government are in
substantial agreement with the IL
general recommendations. In par
ticular, they indorse and emphasize
three of these statements of prin-
ciple. The first, recommending that
the mandate for Palestine shall be
terminated at the earliest practicable
date, and the second, recommending
that independence shall be granted
in Palestine at the earliest practi-
cable date, are an exact expression
of the guiding principle Of British
policy in Palestine. The record Of
our various attempts to secure agree
ment on a final settlement of the
problem-which I will not delay the
committee by repeating-is sufficient
and obvious proof of this fact.
Aims Declared Identical.
Nevertheless, I take the oppor-
tunity of reaffirming that in this
fundamental matter the aims of my
government and of the special
committee are identical. The third
general recommendation to which my
government directs attention is the
sixth. This is to the effect that the
General Assembly should immedi-
ately undertake the initiation and
execution of an international ar
rangement to deal with the problem
of distressed European Jews as a
matter of extreme urgency. 1t is the
opinion Of the United Kingdom
government that the entire problem
of displaced persons in Europe, Jew
ish and non-Jewish alike, is an in
ternational responsibility and one
which demands urgent action. We
shall make proposals to this end OH
a more appropriate occasion.
Al would therefore only reiterate
on the subject of the special COM
mittee's general recommendations
that there is no conflict between
their general conclusions and the
broad objectives of British policy.
We approach the subject of Pales-
tine and its related problems in the
same spirit.
S. come now to the question of
the future government OF Palestine.
I desire on behalf Of his majesty's
government to state that they in
dorse, without reservation, the view
that the mandate should now be
terminated. 1t was the original in
tention Of the League of Nations
that the mandatory regime in Pales-
tine should lead towards indie
pendence. The situation which has