UNITED NATIONS: The Security Council yesterday [Nov 17] put off a vote on any of the three resolutions before it on the Middle East problem. The Bulgarian representative asked for a delay till Monday afternoon to give time for further consultations.

Britain’s Lord Caradon, who tabled a compromise resolution on Thursday to break the deadlock, agreed to the weekend recess, but hoped that at the next meeting on Monday the Security Council would take a decision on the “very urgent and serious matter”.

According to informed sources, the Soviet Union is not happy with some parts of the British text, especially those concerning Israeli withdrawal from occupied Arab territories. Russia would like this to be spelled out in a clear and unambiguous language which would leave no room for doubt.

The British draft does leave room for different interpretations. It seems in order to elicit support of both Israel and the Arab countries. The British delegation has left contradictory impressions on the two sides. The Arabs are said to have been given to understand that “withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict” meant vacation of all territories.

Israeli sources, on the other hand, seizing upon the omission of the word “all” in the British text, interpret it to mean that some territorial adjustments actually meaning acquisition would be essential to bring about an Israeli withdrawal.

However, neither Israel nor the Arab countries have accepted the British text.

[Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent in Quetta,] rail link between Pakistan and Iran has again been established, after two years’ break. This morning [Nov 18] a train bound for Zahidan steamed out of Quetta railway station at 8.05 a.m. carrying hundreds of passengers, including pilgrims for holy shrines in Iran. Quetta-Zahidan weekly train service, it may be recalled, was suspended on Aug 7, 1965.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017