The United Nations has received a more detailed report on the incident in Egyptian territory regarding yesterday’s alleged Israeli attack on a Bedouin camp, and the fresh report “confirms what we said previously,” Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold stated here today.
Mr. Hammarskjold made this statement in reply to questions at one of his regularly scheduled press conferences. He said the Israel-Egyptian Mixed Armistice Commission “will have the last word” in regard to the reported incident. “Today’s report does not give evidence of infiltration or pursuit, and as long as our people were with the Israeli troops there was no shooting at them,” he added, declaring that he would prefer to consider the events reported “as an accident rather than an incident.”
The UN chief told correspondents that he did not think any new Security Council resolution is needed to deal with the present situation in the Middle East. He pointed out that he has always stressed here, “as well as in conversation with parties” that no part of the UN peace machinery should be scrapped.
Asked about the current status of the negotiations concerning Israel’s insistence that Jordan observe the provisions of a clause in the Israel-Jordan armistice agreement giving Israel access to holy shrines, including the Wailing Wall, Mr. Hammarskjold replied: “I have made certain proposals to both sides, in Jerusalem and Amman. The last word on this matter has not yet been said.”
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