The Egyptian Third Army is not observing the time-table for thinning out its forces on the east bank of the Suez Canal and this has caused some consternation among Israeli officials who say Israel has carried out its part of the disengagement agreement to the letter and precisely on time. The thinning out–the withdrawal westwards across the canal of Egyptian troops and heavy equipment–was supposed to have begun yesterday when the Israeli army completed the first phase of its withdrawal from the west side of the waterway.
But the Egyptians have made no move yet to comply with that condition of the Jan. 21 disengagement accord. According to reports from Cairo today, the thinning out will commence Friday–about three days behind schedule. This could delay the start of the second phase of the Israeli pull-back which is supposed to begin Feb. 4. Under the disengagement agreement, Israeli withdrawal and the partial demilitarization of Egyptian forces on the east bank are to be carried out in tandem, stage by stage.
Israeli officers said today that the Egyptian Third Army would have to build more bridges across the Suez Canal to move out their heavy equipment. So far they haven’t done it, though the Suez-Cairo road, abandoned by Israeli forces yesterday, was jammed today with Egyptian supply columns headed for the Third Army and the town of Suez. Yesterday Israel-permitted an Egyptian supply boat to navigate the Suez Canal to bring supplies to an Egyptian battalion encircled on the shores of Great Bitter Lake.
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