The Egyptian authorities have refused until now to permit an International Red Cross representative to visit the six crewmen taken off an Israeli fishing vessel last week, or to permit the Red Cross to bring the men messages from. their families, it was learned here today from well informed sources.
From Cairo it was reported that the Egyptian Government today asked for an emergency meeting of the Egyptian-Israeli Mixed Armistice Commission to investigate an Egyptian complaint that the Israeli fishing vessel violated Egyptian territorial waters.
A spokesman for the International Red Cross assured newsmen here today that the Red Cross would do everything in its power to implement Article IV of the Geneva Convention which governs the Red Cross’ right to visit prisoners and convey messages from their families. (See page 3 for Israeli action.)
The same spokesman expressed regret at what he termed “unnecessary publicity” given Red Cross actions in behalf of the five Israelis and one Italian national removed from the vessel Doron and charged with “espionage” off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. The Red Cross representative, apparently referring to dispatches emanating from Tel Aviv, said that such publicity threw a “political light” on its functions and hampered the Red Cross in its humanitarian activities.
(From Stockholm, it was reported today that the Scandinavian Transport Workers Federation cabled President Nasser, protesting against the confiscation of the Doron and its crew and urging him to act personally to obtain the immediate release of the ship and the fishermen.)
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