United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold arrived this afternoon in Sdeh Boker, the Kibbutz retreat of Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, for talks on Israel-Arab problems.
The two statesmen, meeting entirely by themselves, were scheduled to discuss Article VIII of the Jordan-Israel Armistice Pact, which deals with access to Jordan-held old Jerusalem in which the beleaguered Hadassah hospital and Hebrew University buildings are situated.
The Prime Minister was expected to reiterate Israel’s demands that the Jordanians reopen free access to Mt Scopus. During meetings this morning in Jerusalem with other Israel officials, Mr. Hammarskjold indicated he was willing to discuss Article VIII. The situation on Israel’s borders also was touched upon but it was understood that a full review of these and other issues had been reserved for the sessions at Sdeh Boker.
Before going to the kibbutz, Mr. Hammarskjold was taken for a tour of the new Hebrew University campus and for a visit to the Weizmann Institute at Rehovot. He also made a brief visit to the Institute of Research on Arid Zones at Beersheba.
The UN Secretary General was expected to remain overnight at Sdeh Boker, where Mrs. Ben Gurion had prepared a room for him as well as arrangements for his first meal in the communal dining room with the kibbutz members. He will be taken by helicopter tomorrow morning to Jerusalem where he may meet with Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister, before leaving Israel for Amman, the capital of Jordan.
MAXIMUM SECURITY MEASURES TAKEN TO PROTECT HAMMARSKJOLD
Mr. Hammarskjold’s arrival in Jerusalem yesterday and his visit to Sdeh Boker today were marked by maximum security arrangements. Police with submachine guns guarded every angle at every place where the UN statesman stopped. Some police were assigned to trees and rooftops of adjoining houses and others were deployed along the routes on which his heavily-escorted car passed.
Mrs. Meir took part in the talks in Jerusalem, the two conferring for an hour. A luncheon given in Mr. Hammarskjold’s honor by the Prime Minister lasted two hours. Participating in the Jerusalem talks were a number of high United Nations and Israel officials.
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