United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold will soon proceed to the Middle East to confer with Israel Premier David Ben Gurion and with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser on developments which are to follow the handing over of the Gaza and Akaba areas to the United Nations Emergency Force, it was stated authoritatively here today.
Ralph J. Bunche, UN Undersecretary General, flew to Egypt today for an inspection tour in the Gaza Strip. He will meet with Maj. Gen, E. L. M. Burns, commander of the UN forces in Gaza, and is expected to confer later with Mr. Hammarskjold on problems being faced by the UN forces in administering the Gaza area.
It was indicated today that one of the objects of Mr. Hammarskjold’s trip to Egypt will be to secure passage for Israeli ships through the Suez Canal. Egyptian officials reiterated that Israeli ships would not be permitted to pass through the canal despite Israel’s complete withdrawal from Egyptian territory. Mr. Hammarskjold is expected to arrange the free passage of Israeli ships through the Gulf of Akaba whose entrance is now commanded by the UN Emergency Force.
The eleventh session of the UN General Assembly–which took over the momentous Israel- Egypt problem from last Autumn’s emergency special session–stands in recess today. But the Israel-Egypt conflict is still on the agenda. The Assembly is subject to recall to deal with the same issues with which it has wrestled for more than four months. The latest report from Mr. Hammarskjold, given to the Assembly before it met for its final recess-meeting Friday, has been interpreted here as implying clearly that troubles are still ahead for Israel.
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