684A.85/6–1454: Telegram
No. 832
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom
(Aldrich) to
the Department of State1
5714. Foreign Office told us and French Embassy today that Jordanian Foreign Minister on June 13 gave British Ambassador oral reply, as approved by cabinet, re border measures. Written reply to follow soon. Duke’s telegram, being pouched Washington and Paris, shows HKJ agrees to five of proposed measures, believes three others more properly come within competence UN and rejects two. Items rejected are demarcation of boundary (including physical barriers) and passes for Arabs crossing from Gaza strip to Jordan territory.
Foreign Office instructing British Embassies Washington and Paris propose three governments now approach IG re measures agreed by HKJ and only these, and ask for IG comment and suggestions. Foreign Office does not favor telling Israelis about measures rejected by Jordanians. British will await HKJ written reply before deciding whether urge reconsideration rejected items but Foreign Office believes such reconsideration, especially of border demarcation, unlikely.
UK del NY will also approach UNSYG re exchange with Jordan and asks his views re measures which HKJ considers primarily UN concern.
Foreign Office would like our views urgently as HMG thinks approach to IG should be made soonest. Foreign Office idea is that approach to IG would be tripartite.
- Repeated to Amman, Tel Aviv, and Paris.↩