Speech #860029226

The Tuni-. sians. the Sudanese. and the Jordanians have most recently. for example. rebuffed Egypts own strong man. The United Nations General Assembly will next meet in September of this year. It is expected that the General Assembly will at that time have in hand the study authorized by the Secretary General last year on the Arab refugee question in anticipation of the expiration of the United Nations Works and Relief Agency. now handling the Arab refugees. which expires on June 30. 1960. So the consideration of the Arab refugee question is most critical and most timely right now. Also. such consideration will be in keeping with the World Refugee Year. beginning in June 1959. which was established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly last December. I We shouldnot avoid the consideration of the nettling problem of the Arab refugees simply by awaiting the results of studies and the fall meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. The intervening 6month period allows too much time for the Communists to make further mischief in a sensitive area. as they. have done in the past. The visit by King Hussein to the United States offers an excellent opportunity for a discussion of the problem. The fact that Congress is now in session. as it probably will not be in September. affords an excellent opportunity for the development of pol-. icy and for the enactment of legislation. Settlement of the Arab refugee question is a step which can be achieved. and any step representing the initiative is important to us. Our great problem in international affairs is to take the initiative and act rather than to react to Communist pressure when it comes. By seizing the initiative in the MidEastnow. we can hope to overcome the handicap attributable to the Communist capability to strike with the totalitarian weapons of speed and surprise. What is the situation with respect to Arab refugees? As I have said before. the United Nations Works and Relief Agency now handles Arab refugees. I am urging that the United States take the initiative and sponsor a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly calling for a resettlement agency to succeed the Works and Relief Agency when that agency expires on June 30. 1960. and that the maintenance of the Arab refugees thereafter. other than for resettlement. be made the responsibility of the Arab States in which the refugees are now located. I do not speak of the payments for maintenance. Payments for such maintenance. if any. would be made to these states by the new United Nations Resettlement Agency.