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On July 20, 1961, Kuwait was admitted to membership in the Arab League as an independent Arab state. Earlier the Iraqi delegates had walked out, alleging that the League was joining with British imperialism. Kuwait was the eleventh state to join the League. The League Council unanimously approved a three-point resolution: 1) the Kuwait government would undertake to request the withdrawal of British troops as soon as possible, and the Iraqi government would undertake not to resort to force; 2) the League would support any wish expressed by Kuwait for unity or union with other League member states, and the League welcomed Kuwait as a member and supported its application for membership in the UN; and 3) the Arab countries undertook to offer effective help to Kuwait to safeguard its independence. An Arab League military mission, led by Lieutenant-General Ahmed Halim Imam, arrived in Kuwait on August 7, 1961; it included representatives of Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Republic, and the Arab League secretariat. It was also accompanied by Abdel-Azia Husain, who had represented Kuwait at the recent Arab League meetings and was expected to be Kuwait's first ambassador in Cairo. The mission was the outcome of the July 20 decision of the League to give Kuwait all effective aid necessary to preserve its independence on condition that it asked for the withdrawal of British troops. On August 13, the paper work necessary to bring Kuwait under the protection of the Arab League and enable the British forces then in Kuwait to leave was completed.

The press reported in late October 1960 that an Arab spokesman had announced plans for opening an office of the Arab League in New Delhi, India, in an effort to counteract Israeli overtures toward South Asia. The press report added that the New Delhi office of the Arab League would eventually have under its supervision League branches to be established in Ceylon, Burma, and Indonesia. It was reported that the New Delhi office would concentrate on such League matters as the Arab economic blockade of Israel, the Palestinian refugees, and Arab cooperation in oil and commerce.

Following the revolution in Syria, the United Arab Republic announced on March 10, 1963, that it would resume its participation in the Arab League, which it had boycotted since the Shtoura meeting in August 1962, when the former Syrian government accused the United Arab Republic of interfering in Syrian affairs. Iraq had already resumed active membership in the League after the overthrow of the Kassem regime. Algeria was admitted to League membership on August 16, 1962.

The activities of the Arab League during the period under review centered around the question of Palestine.Following its previous stand in support of Palestinian Arabs, the Political Com-mittee of the League decided on April 17, 1947 to oppose the idea of the creation of a new committee of inquiry by the United Nations, and to support the inclusion on the agenda of the first special session of the General Assembly of an item on the abro-gation of the mandate and proclamation of Palestine's independence. It expressed the view that, in any event, terms of reference of any established inquiry committee should include the questions mentioned above. Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, Secretary-General of the League, stated on May 29, 1947, that a decision on the League's position regarding the question of cooperation with the United Nations' committee of inquiry would be made at the seven member Conference of Foreign Ministers at Cairo in June, 1947. He emphasized that the Arab League was not concerned with Palestine alone, but also with 20,000,000 Arabs in French North Africa, and the problems of Libya and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. No action however, was taken by the Arab League in June, and a rift among Arabs over the Palestine question became evident when the Palestine Arab Higher Committee decided to boycott the inquiry commission. In a news conference on June 19, Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha stated that the Arab League, representing all independent Arab states and about 45,000,000 persons, was giving full support to Palestine independence, and that the League was cooperating with the Special Committee on Palestine despite the boycott by the Arab Higher Committee.

Plans by Arab League officials to establish an Arab government over the whole of Palestine culminated in an announcement on September 20, 1948, of the formation of such a government at Gaza, to be headed by Premier Ahmed Hilmi Pasha, Arab Military Governor of Jerusalem. King Abdullah of Transjordan promply served notice that he would bar it from the Holy Land as it amounted to recognition of partition, which the Arabs had opposed. A meeting of Palestine Arab leaders at Jericho proclaimed King Abdullah of Transjordan as King of "all Palestine" on November 28 and on December 7 the cabinet of Transjordan gave its consent that King Abdullah accept the crown of a united Palestine and Transjordan. On December 14 the Palestinian Arabs told the Arab League that they would support the Jericho decision in spite of the fact that the League was using all means of pressure to persuade King Abdullah to renounce the plan and even was considering expelling Transjordan from the League. On December 21 Abdullah's appointment of a new Mufti of Jerusalem to replace Haj Aminal-Husseini constituted a direct challenge to the Arab League which declared that it would continue to support the all Palestine government proclaimed at Gaza and that it was up to the Palestinian people to decide their own future.

Suez Canal Dispute: On July 17, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Assam Pasha, stated that the United Kingdom attitude toward the Suez Canal dispute would have destructive consequences to its prestige and influence in the Arab world. Egypt was faithfully carrying out the Arab League decision to prevent war material from reaching Israel.

During the period under review the activities of the Arab League and of its member states were concentrated on the Palestine dispute. Conversations were held in Cairo on February 14, 1949 between the Palestine Conciliation Commission and Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, Secretary-General of the League who later conferred with the Prime Minister of Egypt.

The Council of the Arab League opened its 30th session in Cairo on October 1, 1958, and adjourned on October 18. At its first meeting, the Council accepted membership applications from Morocco and Tunisia, bringing the number of member states of the League to ten. It was reported that on October 11 the Tunisian representative, Mr. Habib el-Shatti, charged that some Arab countries were seeking to dominate proceedings and that the Arab League was working for only one faction and receiving orders from one member. The chief delegate of the United Arab Republic then withdrew from the meeting with the rest of his delegation. Later, it was reported, the Tunisian representative announced that his delegation was withdrawing from the League's session because, in his words, no worthwhile work could be accomplished within the League as long as there was no faith between Tunisia and the United Arab Republic. The United Arab Republic delegation returned to the Council meeting on October 14 after the Tunisian delegate's remarks concerning the domination of the League's activities by certain states had been expunged from the records. It was recorded that on October 18 the Council agreed to assess the members of the League £12 million Egyptian ($34,400,000 at the official rate of exchange) for support of the revolt in Algeria. This sum was to be part of the League's budget and so was binding on all members.

Because of serious dissension within Arab policy-making groups, the Arab League reportedly made attempts to straighten out the differences between Haj Amin el-Husseini, the exiled Mufti of Jerusalem, and King Abdullah of Trans jordan regarding military procedure in the proposed Palestine invasion. On January 15, 1948 Assad Dagher Bey, Chief of the press section of the Arab League, announced that regular armies of the Arab countries were planning to occupy all of Palestine as soon as the British withdrew, and he further stated that intervention by an international police force or any large body of foreign troops would be considered as an unfriendly act by the Arab states. At this same press conference it was disclosed that the Arab governments had sent notes to the United States and Great Britain informing them that the Arab League had decided to give all possible aid to the Arabs of Palestine. Up to that time, the League, while encouraging action against the establishment of a Jewish state, had taken no official recognition of the guerrilla warfare; it had been reported, however, that Fawzi el-Kawukji, commander of the Arab People's Army in Syria, was pressing for more active assistance from the members of the Arab League. Shortly thereafter, on January 23, it was announced that he had crossed the border into Palestine from Syria to carry out a reorganization of Arab forces.

The Council of the Arab League met in Cairo beginning December II, 1954, and adopted several recommendations proposed by the League's Political Committee which had finished its session on December 9. The Council approved of the participation of the League members in the forthcoming conference of Asian and African countries in Bandung, Indonesia, approved the appointment of Faha Hussein (Egypt) as chairman of the Arab League Cultural Committee, decided that Jordan's home guard should be strengthened, and agreed that Syria should lodge with the United Nations Security Council, on behalf of Jordan, a complaint against Israel diversion of the waters of the Jordan River. The 23d regular session of the Council opened in Cairo on March 27,1955.

CouncilThe 19th session of the Council of the Arab League met in Cairo on September 7, 1953. It was announced that delegations at the United Nations of member states, in concert with delegations of Asian and African countries, would continue efforts to bring the Moroccan and Tunisian complaints before the General Assembly. The Council expressed the hope that the General Assembly could "persuade France to respond to the legal aspirations of Morocco and Tunisia" and thus enable the Arab League to avoid "taking certain measures which Arab public opinion is insisting on". The Council added that the member states did not recognize "the illegal conditions imposed by the French authorities in Morocco". The Council endorsed agreements signed by Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan for the exchange of agricultural and animal products without customs duties, for the exchange of industrial products at favorable rates, and for the transfer and investment of capital between Arab countries. It was also reported that the Council had agreed to a suggestion of the Jordanian government that members of the Arab League help finance the Jordan National Guard with a sum of £1 million, one-half from League funds and the other from subscriptions from members on the basis of their contributions to the League. A further request from Jordan for £2 million to raise living standards in villages bordering Israel and for £0.5 million for reconstruction in Jerusalem and reclamation of agricultural lands was reported to be under consideration.

The Political Committee of the Arab League met in Alexandria on August 14, 1950 to prepare a common program for the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. It was also reported in the press, however, that one of the main subjects for discussion was the wide divergence of opinion among the Arab states, concerning United Nations intervention in Korea, the Palestine problem, the nomination of an Arab state to the United Nations Security Council, to which Lebanon and Turkey had announced themselves candidates, and the proposals of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for the solution of the Palestine problem. Press reports further indicated that Egypt had agreed that the question of Jordan's status in the League, after the annexation of east Palestine, would not come up again until the October meeting of the Council of the League. The League was reported as anxious to obtain United Nations recognition as a regional organization with official standing, similar to that of the Organization of American States. As a preliminary to such recognition it was believed necessary to obtain the signatures of all the League members to the collective security pact which had been adopted by the Council at its last meeting. On August 17, 1950 the Political Committee decided to direct its members to inform the United Nations that the demands concerning Arab refugees in Palestine would be pressed in the General Assembly, and would insist on concrete implementation of the United Nations resolutions calling for the return of Arab refugees to their original homes and the internationalization of Jerusalem.

During the period under review the attention of the member countries of the Arab League was focused on the meetings of the United Nations Palestine Conciliation Commission in Lausanne, Switzerland. The British proclamation of self-rule for Cyrenaica on June 2 did, however, call for comment from the League. The move was interpreted as an attempt to create a British protectorate on Egypt's frontier and an attempt to further weaken the Arab countries through partition of one of them. Abdul Rahman Azzam Pasha, Secretary General of the Arab League, in a formal statement of protest, stated, "It is indeed regrettable that British policy in Libyan questions is based solely on Britain's own interests. Britain has not tried to reach an understanding concerning a policy that would satisfy the Arab people."

The economic council of the Arab League was reported in January 1956 to have approved the establishment of an inter-Arab organization for economic development to be financed jointly by member states in proportion to their contribution to the general League funds. The capital of the new organizaton was to be £20 million. The economic council also approved the formation of a company to exploit Dead Sea minerals with headquarters at Amman, Jordan; the capital would be £4 million.

The Arab League Collective Security Pact entered into force on August 23, 1952, following the deposit of the instrument of ratification of Iraq. Saudi Arabia signed the pact on August 18.During the period reviewed, both the Council and Political Committee of the League held several meetings to consider such political matters as the boycott against Israel, possible united action by the Arab League members against the German Federal Republic if an indemnity treaty with Israel were ratified, and policies to be pursued by Arab League members in the seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly. The sixteenth session of the Council, which had opened on March 16 only to adjourn immediately sine die, resumed meeting in Cairo from September 10 to 23. The agenda of the meeting, over which Aly Maher (Egypt) presided, included 1) general Arab political problems, 2) proposals for the establishment of an Institute of Arab Studies at Columbia University, 3) the budget, 4) organization of Arab propaganda, 5) education of children of Arab refugees, 6) Lebanon's proposal to reorganize the Council's inner structure, 7) the question of opening Council meetings to the public, and 8) the founding of an Arab Court of Justice. The Council decided to hold its meetings in secret.