The Big Four deputies met this afternoon just as they met Tuesday without coming any closer to completing their memorandum on the progress of the Big Four talks. The four ambassadors are scheduled to meet June 12. But their meeting, too, is not expected to provide a micro-inch of forward movement toward a solution of the Middle East crisis say diplomatic sources. The feeling expressed by some sources at the United Nations today was that both the deputies and the Big Four are actually marking time to see the results of the bilateral talks in Washington between Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin and Secretary of State William P. Rogers, and the talks in Paris between Soviet Foreign Minister Andrel Gromyko and French officials. Lord Caradon, Britain’s ambassador had expressed the hope that a Four Power interim report would be drafted and ready in time for Secretary General U Thant to take with him to Moscow on June 17 where he is scheduled to meet with the Swedish Ambassador to the Soviet Union Dr. Gunnar V. Jarring who is also Mr. Thant’s special peace envoy to the Middle East.
“The idea of an interim report is still not dead,” one diplomatic source stated. “It is the feeling that somehow or other Dr. Jarring must be given guidelines to renew his peace mission. What is undecided at this time is at what point, how or where this can be accomplished,” in view of the bilateral talks. There was also no indication that the terrorist shellings of Beisan on Monday and again yesterday in which a total of three children were killed and 15 children and sight adults were wounded, nor the shelling yesterday of Tiberias in which two were killed and at least four injured has had any effect on the Four Powers to hold an interim meeting to deal with the gravity of the situation. Asked if in view of the latest developments in the Mideast the deputies would hasten their efforts to complete their memorandum, a source said the possibility is “slim indeed.”
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