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At this stage a representative of the Jewish Agency, Mr Moshe Shertok r appeared before the Committee and gave his observations on the draft terms of reference for the Committee of Inquiry. This statement is attached in Annex A. During the debate which followed this statement the delegate for the Lebanon reminded the Committee that during the opening session of the General Committee the United Kingdom representative had promised at the proper time to make a statement regarding the attitude of the United Kingdom towards the ultimate proposals that would emerge from the investigations of the contemplated Committee. The United Kingdom delegate elected to answer immediately, and opened by reminding delegations that on the Security Council the United Kingdom Government not only had gone to great lengths to avoid exercising the right of veto, but had in fact avoided ever, exercising it. But they had tried for years to solve the problem of Palestine and had brought it to the United Nations in the hope that it could succeed where the United Kingdom could not. If the United Nations could find a just solution which would be accepted by both parties it could hardly be expected that the United Kingdom would not welcome such a solution. All he could say was that his Government should not have the sole responsibility for enforcing a solution which was not accepted by both parties, and which the United Kingdom Government could not reconcile with its conscience. He suggested that this question might just as well be addressed to all other members of the United Nations. The representatives of the Arab Higher Committee, whose spokesman now took his place at the Committee table, were Mr Emil Ghouri, Rajai Husseini, Mr Henry Katan, Mr Wasef Kamal, Mr Isa Nakhleh, Mr Rasem Khalidi. Mr Henry Katan made a statement on behalf of his Committee, which is attached in Annex B to this report. The same questions were addressed to him by the delegates for India and Poland, and additional questions were asked by the delegates for Guatemala and Colombia and Yugoslavia. These are also set out in Annex B. On the resumption of the debate there were many drafts before the Committee, and the main theme of discussion was concerned with the two questions —the advisability of including the permanent members of the Security Council on the Committee of Inquiry, and the extent to which, if at all, the Committee should be restricted by mandatory instructions in its terms of reference. The Arab group pursued its theme that the immediate independence of Palestine was an essential condition to be included in the instructions to the Committee, but the majority of the delegates appeared to be averse to both these propositions. The debate produced even more alternative suggestions, and the Committee adjourned at the end of the week only after instructing the sub-committee (enlarged by proponents of new suggestions) to consider all the proposals that had been made and to endeavour to prepare an agreed draft, or, on the points on which agreement was not possible, a draft which included provision for alternative points of view.
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