which the Member State does not require reimbursement, the Member State to be credited with the fair value thereof as agreed upon by the Member State and by the Secretary-General. 1205th plenary meeting. VII-14 OPERATIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS EMERGENCY FORCE DURING THE PERIOD AUGUST 1, 1962-JULY 31, 1963: Report of the U.N. Secretary-General (Thant), September 12, 1963 (Excerpts)14 Introduction 15 This report covers the functioning of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) during the period since 30 August 1962, when the last report was submitted to the General Assembly by the Secretary-General in pursuance of Assembly resolution 1125 (XI), paragraph 4.18 A. Organization and Functioning of the Force I. EFFECTIVENESS AND ORGANIZATION 1. During the period reviewed by this report, UNEF has continued its function of guarding and patrolling along the ADL" in the Gaza Strip and the IF 18 in the Sinai Peninsula. This area has remained, as in previous years, free of any events of a serious nature. 2. The total number of violations of the ADL and of the IF and of cases of infiltration were approximately the same as in the year 1961-1962. These violations, except for the very few cases which involved planned attempts on the part of individuals to enter the territory of the other side, were quite minor in nature, such as incursions of 10 to 50 metres, until the parties were warned off by UNEF patrols. Air violations continue to cause concern. There was one incident of air combat in July 1963 between United Arab Republic and Israel aircraft near the IF. However, as in previous years, the greater number of air space violations occurred in the north-east area of the Gaza Strip. 3. The feeling of security of the local population resulting from the continuing peaceful conditions and general stability in the Gaza Strip has been further expressed in the increase in agricultural development of land and commercial activity. 10 4. During June and July 1963 UNEF was called upon on short notice to provide administrative and logistics support for the United Nations Yemen Observation Mission. This support consisted of personnel, matériel and aircraft. In the initial stages, two of the five RCAF aircraft normally assigned to UNEF were placed at the disposal of the mission together with crews, maintenance personnel and equipment. The Force also provided certain key staff officers, together with the bulk of the required equipment and supplies to sustain the advance elements of the mission for a thirty-day period. Both personnel and matériel were airlifted to Yemen from the UNEF air base at El Arish. Preceded by a small advance party which was transported by air, one company of approximately 115, all ranks, from the UNEF-based Yugoslav reconnaissance battalion was 14 U.N. doc. A/5494. 15 Text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1962, pp. 773–777. 16 Text ibid., 1957, p. 896. 17 Armistice demarcation line. 18 International frontier. 19 See post, docs. VII-25-39. embarked by ship from Port Said on 28 June under UNEF arrangements. Heavy equipment for this unit was provided by the Government of Yugoslavia but all pack rations, medical, canteen and miscellaneous stores such as uniforms, bedding, tentage, field cookers, refrigerators, communications equipment and a few vehicles and water trailers were supplied by UNEF. 5. During 1962-1963 there has been no significant change in the operational functions and pattern of deployment of UNEF, the details of which are set forth in section II below.20 The strength of UNEF has remained very much the same except for minor changes in organization and the elimination of a few specific appointments as a result of reviews made from time to time. It is still a fact that any appreciable reduction in the strength of UNEF, and thereby in its cost, would require a redefinition and review of its role, the area of its deployment and its over-all composition. It is also true that UNEF is well into its seventh year of deployment in Gaza and Sinai at a substantial annual expenditure, and this assumes increasing importance in this period of financial crisis for the Organization." The Force, naturally, was not established as a permanent institution. It has been so effective, however, in restoring and maintaining peace along the Gaza-Sinai line that it has become virtually indispensable, at least until it can be demonstrated that attitudes and relations between the peoples on both sides of the line have improved to the degree that a buffer between them is no longer necessary to prevent daily armed conflict. Still, the time may have arrived when it would be useful to look carefully into the question of whether there may be ways of redefining and limiting the functions of UNEF so as to reduce both its size and cost without unduly increasing the risk of a resumption of warfare along the line. At the wish of the members, I would, of course, undertake such a study and report on its results to the General Assembly. 22 6. The composition of the Force as of 31 July 1963 is as follows: Canada Reconnaissance unit; engineering, signals and service units; air trans- Denmark Infantry.. India Infantry, signals and service units. Norway Infantry... Sweden Infantry and medical units. Yugoslavia Infantry reconnaissance battalion... 7. It will be noted from the above table that there has been a change in the period under review in the manning of the UNEF hospital. This change was effected on 1 May 1963 at the request of the Government of Norway, which was finding it increasingly difficult to provide medical personnel. It was therefore decided, in agreement with the Government of Sweden, to replace the Norwegian medical company by approximately the same number of personnel from Sweden. III. INCIDENTS 16. The type and number of incidents observed by UNEF troops between 1 August 1962 and 31 July 1963 are indicated in the annexes to the present report. Incidents reported by Israel or United Arab Republic authorities which could not be investigated and which therefore were not confirmed have not been included in this report. It will be noted that the number of incidents involving firing both in the area of the ADL and the IF and on UNEF has slightly increased. 17. The incidents of firing across the ADL and the IF were of two categories: some were random shots heard by UNEF patrols; others were exchanges of fire between Israel patrols in territory controlled by Israel and local bedouin in territory controlled by the United Arab Republic which were observed from the OPS. The incidents of firing on UNEF troops occurred when infiltrators were challenged by night patrols from the Force, but it was not possible to locate or apprehend the culprits. These incidents caused no casualties. 18. The number of incidents of other types shows a decrease as compared with the year 1961-1962, except in the case of violations of the ADL by persons from territory controlled by Israel. These violations occurred most frequently between January and May 1963 and were due mainly to the fact that the Israelis were at that time constructing a road very close to and parallel with the IF for a distance of approximately 10 kilometres south of Rafah. VII-15 POSSIBLE WAYS OF REDUCING THE SIZE AND COST OF THE UNITED NATIONS EMERGENCY FORCE: Annual Report of the President (Johnson) to the Congress on U.S. Participation in the U.N., Transmitted August 20, 1964 (Excerpt) 23 In pursuance of a request made by the General Assembly's Budgetary and Administrative (Fifth) Committee on October 16, 1963,24 the Secretary-General designated an informal Secretariat Study Group to look into possible ways of redefining and limiting the functions of UNEF with a view to reducing its size and cost without unduly increasing the risk of a resumption of warfare in the area. As a result of that study, the Secretary-General reported on December 2, 1963,25 that UNEF remained clearly indispensable to the maintenance of peace in the area and that there appeared to be no workable method, within the mandate given to UNEF,26 of reducing the area of operations or of limiting the functions of UNEF as such. Therefore, any modification of UNEF to bring about reduced costs would have to be in its operation and composition. To that end, the Secretary-General suggested a series of modifications of UNEF. The most important of these involved a reduction of the number of static posts along the ADL,27 which would, in turn, permit an overall reduction of about 500 men from the Force and standardization of the tours of duty of the national contingents at 9 months. The Secretary-General pointed out that any changes in UNEF involving the national contingents would require the approval of the governments concerned. 23 U.S. Participation in the UN: Report by the President to the Congress for the Year 1963 (Department of State publication 7675), pp. 116-117. 24 See U.N. doc. A/C.5/SR.1019. 25 U.N. doc. A/C.5/1001. 26 See American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1956, pp. 666-667. "Armistice demarcation line. 1962 Annex I 1965 August September October November December January February March April May June July Tota 18 1311 Firing on UNEF troops. Crossing of ADL/IF involving thefts.. Crossing or attempted crossing of ADL/IF not 5 6 TOTAL 5 9 18 18 33 Air violations by unidentified aircraft. Sea incidents 5 4 TOTAL 23 22 42 61 16 48 TOTAL 15 27 These violations are made by unidentified fishing/sailing boats. In a meeting subsequent to the Secretary-General's report, the Fifth Committee 28 took the proposed modifications of UNEF into consideration in appropriating $17,500,000 for the operations of UNEF in 1964, as against the original 1964 budget estimate of $18,954,300.29 E. Relations With and Concerning Certain Countries of the Area ADEN VII-16 UNITED STATES OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSAL FOR THE DISPATCH OF A VISITING MISSION TO ADEN: Statement Made by the U.S. Representative (Yates) in the Committee of 24 of the U.N. General Assembly, April 29, 19631 MR. PRESIDENT: My Delegation has listened with great interest to the statements made before the Committee on Aden and the Federation of South Arabia. We particularly appreciate the statements of the petitioners of both points of view who appeared before the Committee and we assure them of the interest and sympathy of the United States Delegation. It would appear that in the modern sense, real contact with South Arabia has recently begun as have those between South Arabia and most of the other governments represented on this Committee. Until recently, contact between the modern world and South Arabia, except of course for that with the great port city of Aden, has been tenuous or non-existent. And in turn political institutions in South Arabia and surrounding areas have clung to traditional patterns. Economic and social development in the modern sense has been, except in Aden and a few other centers, only at its inception. It's obvious, however, that the winds of change are blowing in this whole area. This is a natural and desirable trend. The United States has watched with interest the launching and growth of the Federation 28 See U.N. doc. A/5680. "The U.N. General Assembly considered the report of the Secretary-General (A/C.5/1001) and appropriated $17,750,000 for the operations of UNEF for 1964 by virtue of Res. 1983 (XVIII) of Dec. 17, 1963; text in U.N. General Assembly Official Records, Eighteenth Session, Supplement No. 15 (A/5515), pp. 62-63. 1U.S.-U.N. press release 4193, May 1, 1963. |