The Israel and Egyptian positions regarding the conflicts between the two countries are “so far apart that it is difficult to begin negotiations.” Maj. Gen. E.L.M. Burns, United Nations truce chief in Palestine, declared today upon his arrival here for consultations. Asked for his estimates of the possibilities of permanent peace, Gen. Burns replied: “I wouldn’t bet on permanent peace any place. But this may change in a short period.”
Asked about his four-point Gaza strip pacification program, which he first proposed officially before the Security Council last March, Gen. Burns said that Egypt has withdrawn its troops a half kilometer from the border, but Israel is “indifferent on withdrawal.” On the other hand, he noted, Israel has affirmed its willingness to erect a barbed wire fence along the border, but “Egypt is indifferent on the fence.”
In answer to a question as to whether he saw signs of Israel preparing for preventive war, he replied: “I saw no such indications.” He refused to discuss the possibilities of an arms race developing in the Middle East, asserting that “that has not been my bailiwick.”
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