United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold advised the Israel Government tonight that he was informed by Egypt that the six-man crew of the detained Israel fishing trawler, Doron, was being released. The cable from the Egyptian Government to Mr. Hammarskjold, as relayed to Israel, read: “We are releasing the Doron crew and will hand them over immediately.” The Doron and its crew has been held by Egypt since last September. The fate of the ship is still pending.
Earlier today, Israel Foreign Minister Mrs. Golda Meir expressed regret in the Knesset that the fishermen, including the ship’s Italian captain, and the 70-ton trawler remained in Egyptian custody. She cited the refusal of Egypt to permit visits to the fishermen by International Red Cross representatives until six weeks after the seizure and then only in the presence of Egyptian officials. She said both conditions violated the Geneva convention.
Mrs. Meir recalled a personal talk with Mr. Hammarskjold during her visit to the United States for the General Assembly last October, Mr. Hammarskjold’s talks with Prime Minister David Ben Gurion and herself in December in Israel, and Mr. Hammarskjold’s expressed hope that release would take place before last Christmas. She said that Mr. Hammarskjold had promised direct personal intervention if the fishermen were not released. There was a “complete identify” of views between the UN official and Israel on the injustice of the arrests, she reported.
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