Lt. Gen. Odd Bull. Secretary-General U Thant’s personal representative in the Middle East and head of the U.N. team observing the Israel-Arab cease-fire arrangements, reported to U.N. headquarters today that the cease-fire arrangement was “holding” after the outbreak yesterday of renewed exchanges in the Suez Canal area. Gen. Bull said that mortars and heavy machine guns were used “by both sides” in yesterday’s clash.
The U.N. observation chief characterized the situation in the canal area as “generally quiet.” There was no indication here whether he had made any reference to the reported heavy buildups by both Israel and Egypt cited in newspaper reports.
In a meeting yesterday with Gen. Moshe Dayan, the Israel Minister of Defense. Gen. Bull reported that he had not succeeded in getting the Egyptians to agree to a proposal that neither they nor the Israelis use the waterway or to delimit the Egyptian cease-fire line. Gen. Bull told headquarters that he would not discuss this question with the press and the U.N. spokesman here said he was under instructions not to comment on this thorny issue.
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