Dulles Seeks to Prevent Collapse of Israel-egyptian Gaza Talks

Every effort to keep the Gaza pacification talks from collapsing is being made by the United Nations, as well as by the Big Three powers–United States, Britain and France.

This fact became evident here today as word reached United Nations headquarters that Secretary of State John Foster Dulles has entered the picture. According to information current in United Nations circles, Mr. Dulles conferred this week with ranking diplomats from both London and Paris in an efforts to work out some plan for bringing Israel and Egypt together through the talks initiated by the United Nations under the chairmanship of Maj. Gen. E.L.M. Burns, chief of staff of the UN Truce Supervision organization.

It is well known here that Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold wants some kind of agreement between Israel and Egypt on the record before the General Assembly convenes Sept. 20. While little information is being released officially here in regard to the Gaza talks, there has been a noticeable anxiety lest Gen. Burns’ efforts fail entirely. Cairo dispatches of course blame Israel for the lag. However, Gen. Burns is understood to have instructions to keep the talks going and, if he cannot obtain agreement on his entire four-point program, he is to bring the two parties together on some of these points.

From Jerusalem it was reported today that Israel and Jordan delegates met with a University Nations observer in no-man’s land there yesterday to continue discussion of the proposed local commanders’ agreement. No information as to the nature of the talks was available. But UN headquarters here said the next meeting would be called “in the near future” by the UN chairman.