Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold is planning to return directly to UN headquarters from Cairo by the end of this week, according to a highly authoritative United Nations source. This source said Mr. Hammarskjold is “not planning to visit any other place in the area”–thus ruling out for the time being any plans to visit Israel.
The Secretary General will carry on his conversations here in efforts to solve at least some of the Middle East problems which were included in his latest mission: the administration of the Gaza Strip; the retention of the UN Emergency Force both in Gaza and on the shores of the Gulf of Akaba; and the free use of the Suez Canal not only by Israel but also by the Western Powers, especially Britain and France, which do not want to pay all tolls to Egypt or to leave Egypt in full command of the canals operation and upkeep.
On the basis of information thus far received here, Mr. Hammarskjold’s mission to Cairo seems to have met with absolute failure in that he has not been able to obtain a single concession from Egypt’s Col, Gamal Abdel Nasser regarding any one of the important issues. It is not known here whether Mr. Hammarskjold has even asked President Nasser the key question posed by Israel–whether Egypt continues to insist that it has “rights of belligerence” vis-a-vis Israel.
Best guesses by observers here are that, since the Secretary General has failed to get any concessions from Col. Nasser, and since all of his prestige is tied in with his efforts to obtain at least some settlements of the vital Middle East issues, he will, upon his return, turn full pressure against Israel in an effort to get concessions from the Jewish State. How successful he would be in such a move, if be undertook it, would be in turn dependent to large degree on the degree of support or opposition he would get from the United States delegation.
A possible clue to Hammarskjold’s feeling toward Israel was seen in a report reaching here today, purporting to have emanated from a UN source in Cairo, to the effect that Israel “is snubbing” the Secretary General by not “inviting” him to visit Jerusalem. Observers pointed out here that Nasser also did not invite Mr. Hammarskjold but that the latter went to Cairo on his own initiative; he could go to Jerusalem in the same way and he has always been welcomed by Israel Government officials.
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