Dr. Jarring Returning to Moscow; No Signs He Will Resume His Mideast Peace Mission

Ambassador Gunnar V. Jarring, special United Nations representative for the Middle East, is leaving New York today to return to Moscow. A UN spokesman, who made the announcement at a press briefing where newsmen were bristling with excitement at the “rumor” of Dr. Jarring’s departure before it was officially confirmed, added that Dr. Jarring would return to his UN headquarters “Within a few weeks, or sooner, if developments warrant it.” The spokesman did not specify which developments would warrant an earlier return and parried questions dealing with whether Dr. Jarring would go to the Middle East between the time he returns to Moscow and his return to UN headquarters.

Shortly after the announcement. Israel’s Ambassador to the UN. Yosef Tekoah. blamed the “intransigence and bellicose attitude” of the Arab governments and the Soviet Union for the decision by Dr. Jarring to return to his post as Sweden’s Ambassador in Moscow without resuming his peace mission in the Middle East. Mr. Tekoah said Dr. Jarring’s return to Moscow was “not unexpected.” The UN spokesman said U Thant and Dr. Jarring, “in the course of a discussion” yesterday, “decided that the consultations for which Ambassador Jarring came to the UN headquarters two weeks ago, had gone as far as possible at this time, thus enabling Dr. Jarring to rejoin his family in Moscow for the Easter period. Dr. Jarring has advised the Secretary General that the consultations which he has had during his current visit here have been useful. It is the intention of Dr. Jarring to return to UN headquarters to undertake further activities in pursuance of his mandate within a few weeks or sooner if developments should warrant it.”

TEKOAH BLAMES ARAB-SOVIET AXIS FOR IMPEDING PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

Ambassador Tekoah said that “In recent weeks it has become more clear than ever before that the Arab states and the USSR are opposed to any renewed attempt by Ambassador Jarring to bring about agreement between the parties through peace negotiations.” Mr. Tekoah added: “Instead, the Arab and Soviet governments seek to impose on the Middle East, through Big Power talks, a settlement short of real peace, that would In fact perpetuate tension and hostilities.” He declared that the Arabs, with Soviet backing, “are pursuing a policy based on repudiation of the cease-fire and continuation of the so-called war of attrition.” But, Mr. Tekoah asserted, “Israel will continue to strive for freely negotiated peace treaties with the Arab governments that would put a definite end to the war waged against it by the Arabs for more than two decades and ensure peace and security for all nations in the Middle East.” The Israeli diplomat said that until a lasting peace is achieved “Israel will insist on scrupulous maintenance of the cease-fire on the basis of full reciprocity.”

When Dr. Jarring returned to the UN on March 10, Dr. Ralphe J. Bunche, United Nations Undersecretary General, said his return was not due to any “emergency” but rather for “routine” discussions with Secretary General U Thant, Big Four power representatives, and other “interested parties.” Mr. Thant had written to Dr. Jarring in Moscow expressing “a suggestion, not a command” that it might be useful for him to return to New York for consultations, Dr. Bunche said. Early this week, informed sources at the UN said Dr. Jarring had exhausted about all the possibilities and had explored every possible avenue without receiving any encouragement that a renewal of his efforts to bring Arabs and Israelis together for negotiations would have any chance of success. On Monday The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that Dr. Jarring was ready to return to Moscow. Subsequently, newsmen asked the UN spokesmen whether this was so. Each time, the UN spokesman replied with the standard answer, “Dr. Jarring is well and is seeing people. I have no word about his itinerary.” This afternoon the return was confirmed.

The Israeli Air Force continued this morning and afternoon its concentrated efforts to blast Egyptian defense lines along the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Suez. Israeli planes attacked artillery and anti-aircraft positions for two hours on the Egyptian side of the Canal’s southern sector, in the central sector and along the Gulf’s western coast. All the planes returned safely. Last night the Air Force struck at the southern sector of the Canal. The Israeli Army flatly denied Egyptian claims of having attacked Israeli forces on the East Bank of the Canal, stating that no Israeli military unit had been hit and that no Egyptian raiders had been spotted. The Army spokesman reported only a few Katyusha shells fired at a desolated area.

Israel Air Force Jets shot down four Egyptian MIG-21s in a dogfight over the Suez Canal yesterday and staged morning and afternoon raids on radar stations, artillery positions and anti-aircraft gun emplacements in the southern and central sections of the waterway. The targets were located In an Egyptian defense belt extending some 20 miles inland from the canal banks. All aircraft returned safely to their bases. An Israeli soldier was wounded yesterday in an exchange of fire between Egyptian and Israeli forces in the northern sector of the canal zone. Yesterday’s “kills” in the dogfight over the canal brought to 80 the number of Egyptian aircraft downed since the June, 1967 war. Cairo denied the loss of any planes today. But a military spokesman here said four Russian-built interceptors were shot down within five minutes after they took to the air to challenge the Israeli bombers. He said two of the Egyptian pilots were seen bailing out. All Israeli planes returned safely from their missions. An Israeli border policeman was injured early this morning by light-arms fire from Jordanian territory aimed at an Israeli patrol east of Neveh Urr in the Beisan Valley. Additional shooting from Jordan was directed at the Gesher settlement north of the valley, with no casualties reported. At around midnight last night, a truck traveling south of Beer Menuha In the Arabia was damaged by bazooka shells. Earlier in the day two Israeli civilians and three local Arabs were injured when a hand grenade exploded in Gaza’s main street this morning. Several suspects have been detained for questioning. The two Israelis were delivering dairy products to a Gaza store when the explosion occurred. They were hospitalized In Ashkelon and the Arabs were taken to a local hospital.

ARAB TERRORISTS, KILLED ON LEBANON BORDER TRYING TO INFILTRATE ISRAEL, IDENTIFIED

Identification was made today of three armed Arab terrorists killed Tuesday on the Lebanese border during an attempt to infiltrate into Israel. The youths, aged 18 to 23, were from the Israeli Arab village of Turann, near Nazareth. They had been bearing three submachine guns, one of them Russian. They had left home a month ago to join a terrorist group. The bodies of seven Syrian soldiers were returned today to Syrian authorities at the Ahmadieh Junction. They had been killed in a clash with an Israeli patrol on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights cease-fire zone. (Gunfire between Palestinian terrorists and Lebanese security forces erupted today in Beirut in the third straight day of such encounters. The incitements were roadblocks set up by the authorities following yesterday’s fight between Palestinians and right-wing Lebanese groups.)

Israeli Jets attacked military targets west of the canal for nearly five hours Tuesday and resumed the attack for an hour during the night. The objective of the stepped-up air raids is to prevent the deployment of Egypt’s new SAM-3 anti-aircraft missiles along the Suez Canal lines. Sources here said earlier this week that Israel intended to keep up the attacks to make it costly, if not impossible for the Egyptians to install the SAM-3 system it Just received from the Soviet Union. No mention was made of SAM missile sites deeper in Egypt. Israeli sources say Russian crews are erecting an Egyptian anti-aircraft defense line based on the SAM-3s around strategic areas such as Alexandria, Cairo and the Russian-built Aswan High Dam.