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Exchange of Notes Between Lebanon and UNRWA
Exchange of Notes Constituting an Over-All Agreement
Between Lebanon and UNRWA
Beirut, 26 November 1954
I
From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Lebanese Overseas, Republic of Lebanon
To: The Administration of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Beirut
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents its compliments to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and, with reference to the letter and the two Aide-Mémoire dated 5 March 1954, which the Agency transmitted to the Ministry, and to the negotiations which have taken place on this subject, has the honour to confirm that after a comprehensive examination of the matter, it submitted to the Cabinet for approval the overall agreement prepared by the Ministry and the Agency. The Ministry has the honour today of advising the Agency that on 27 October 1954, the Cabinet approved this agreement which covers the following points :
1. The Lebanese Government is prepared to give full recognition to the Agency's claims set forth in Aide-Mémoire No. 2 of 5 March 1954 relating to the legal status of UNRWA and the privileges, immunities and facilities which the Agency and its officials should enjoy. In particular the Lebanese Government is prepared to interpret the 13 February 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations in accordance with the international practice.
2. With respect to the future annual contribution to the relief and works programme for Palestine refugees, the Government is prepared to make a contribution amounting to 0.06% of the Agency's budget in the form of direct services rendered to certain categories of Palestine refugees living in Lebanon. However, it is prepared to pay this contribution in cash if the Agency agrees to assume financial responsibility for the cost of these services.
3. With regard to the past, the Government is prepared to refund to the Agency, on production of the pertinent vouchers, the amounts listed in the annex to the afore mentioned Aide-Mémoire, which on 31 December 1953 totaled $187,309.26, together with landing charges levied on the UNRWA plane (Aide-Mémoire No. 2, of 5 March 1954 para. 24) which, on 31 December 1953, amounted to $4,770. To these sums will be added those incurred since that date.
4. For its part, the Agency will take note of the fact that the contributions which Lebanon had promised to pay to the Agency's budget for the financial years from 1951 through 30 June 1954, i.e. a total sum of $150,000 have been made by the Government by means of direct or indirect expenses incurred in the giving of assistance to Palestine refugees living in Lebanon.
5. Further, the Agency will assume responsibility for certain expenses incurred by the Lebanese Central Refugee Committee, totaling LL 147,673 representing expenses entailed by the hospitalization of a number of refugees from 1 January 1953 to 30 April 1954. The relevant vouchers will be furnished to the Agency in due course.
6. The Ministry has the honour to attach, as an annex* to the present note, the text of the specific arrangement drawn up in conjunction with the Agency relating to the implementation of the agreement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes this occasion to renew to the Administration of the Agency the assurances of its highest consideration.
(Initialled) Fouad AMMOUN
Director-General
(Signed) Alfred NACCACHE
Minister of Foreign Affairs
II
From: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
To: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Lebanese Overseas, Republic of Lebanon
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lebanon and, in reply to its note of today's date, has the honour to draw its attention to the following statement regarding the overall agreement between the Agency and the Ministry, submitted by the latter to the Cabinet and which was approved on 27 October 1954.
1. With regard to the legal status, privileges, immunities and facilities of the Agency and its officials in Lebanon, the Agency notes that the Lebanese Government is ready to recognize in full the claims set out in Aide-Mémoire No. 2 of 5 March 1954, and to interpret the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations of 13 February 1946, in accordance with international practice.
2. With respect to the future annual contribution of the Lebanese Government to the relief and works programme for Palestine refugees, the Agency notes that the Government is prepared to make a contribution amounting to 0.06% of the Agency's budget in the form of direct services rendered to certain categories of Palestine refugees living in Lebanon.
However, in order that the Government may be able to pay its contribution to the Agency's budget in cash, the latter is willing to assume financial responsibility for the said services up to the amount stated, in accordance with a procedure to be established later by mutual agreement.
3. With regard to the past, the Agency notes that the Government is prepared to refund the amounts listed in the annex to the above-mentioned Aide-Mémoire, as well as landing fees charged in respect of the United Nations plane. To these sums will be added those incurred since the date up to which the amounts listed in the said Aide-Mémoire were based.
4. The Agency notes that the Lebanese Government has stated that the contributions which Lebanon had promised to pay to the Agency's budget for the financial years from 1951 through 30 June 1954 have been spent directly or indirectly by the Government in giving assistance to Palestine refugees living in Lebanon. The Agency therefore considers this question to have been settled in so far as the past is concerned.
5. With regard to the expenses assumed by the Central Refugee Committee, the Agency would like to emphasize that it considers in its opinion that the responsibility for these expenses should in principle have been assumed by the Government. However, the Agency is prepared in a spirit of good will to assume responsibility for the sum of LL 147,673 for the period ending 30 April 1954, subject to audit of the relevant vouchers.
6. The Agency has the further honour to acknowledge receipt of the text decided by agreement between the Ministry and the Agency, setting out the specific arrangement* for the overall agreement adopted by both parties.
The Agency takes this occasion to renew to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the assurances of its highest consideration.
(Signed) W. E. F. CONRAD
* The annex containing the Specific Arrangement between the two parties is not attached here.
Source: United Nations. Treaty Series 1954-1955. New York: United Nations, vol 202, pp. 123-133.