Lt. Gen. Odd Bull, chief of staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, presented here last night a pessimistic report on prospects for resuming the suspended meeting of an extraordinary session of the Israel-Syrian Mixed Armistice Commission.
The session, the first in many years, was convened in January at the initiative of U.N. Secretary General U Thant, when border fighting reached a dangerous pitch. Both Israel and Syria agreed to a one-item agenda — the issue of cultivation of farm land in the demilitarized zones on the borders of the two countries. After several postponements, Gen. Bull suspended the session indefinitely in February because the Syrian delegates sought to extend the agenda to cover such items as the overall status of the demilitarized zone.
Gen. Bull conferred with Israeli officials last week and made his second visit to Damascus since the talks were suspended. He conferred with the Syrian Chief of Staff, Gen. Sweidani, and other top Syrian officials. It was understood that at these meetings, the Syrians refused again to propose practical suggestions for cultivation of the demilitarized zone land and continued to insist on a wider agenda. Gen. Bull made his report last night to Moshe Sasson, head of the Foreign Ministry’s Armistice Affairs Division.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
