A cease-fire for the entire Israeli Transjordan front was signed here today by representatives of the two countries meeting under the auspices of acting United Nations mediator Ralph J. Bunche.
The agreement was signed by Reuven Shiloah, of the Foreign Office, and Lt. Col. Moshe Dayan, Israeli commander of the Jerusalem front, for Israel, at a formal joint meeting. The five-minute signing ceremony was preceded by separate meetings with Dr. Bunche and each of the delegations. It is understood that no declarations of any kind are incorporated in the agreement and that the question of frontiers was left open. No maps of the respective positions of the two armies were attached to the cease-fire pact.
After the conclusion of the agreement, Dr. Bunche made the following statement for insertion in the official record of the negotiations:
“If and when a Transjordan force shall take over any sectors of any Arab front not occupied by Transjordan at the signing of this agreement, I will call on both parties immediately to extend the agreement from its present form to such new sectors and fronts. I shall expect each delegation to act favorably to such a call.”
Dr. Bunche also thanked the two delegations for displaying a spirit of cooperation and conciliation which made possible the completion of the “first step” in their common efforts. He expressed the hope that the agreement would be scrupulously observed in both its spirit and letter.
MEDIATOR GETS TRANSJORDAN COMPLAINT ON AKABA SITUATION
Dr. Buncbe, in the meantime, has received from Amman a formal Transjordanian complaint alleging clashes in the Nogev between the Arab Legion and Israeli forces, but without giving the specific location of such clashes. Neither the acting mediator nor U.N. observers received concrete information on the subject and the Israeli delegation here denied that a clash had occurred.
The mediator has therefore dispatched Dr. Paul Mohn, his chief adviser stationed at Tel Aviv, to the disputed area to investigate and report en the situation. At the same time, Dr. Bunche notified Tel Aviv and Amman through their respective delegations that he would strictly invoke the U.N. Security Councils truce resolution of July 15, 1948, forbidding clashes in this area which may disrupt these or any other negotiations. Dr. Bunche warned the two governments to adhere to the resolution and said that anyone guilty of a breach of it would be reported to the Security Council.
Dr. Bunche also cabled to his chief of staff, Brig. Gen. William E. Riloy, asking him to verify the Amman charge on the following points: “First, that the Israelis attempted to cross lines occupied by the Arab Legion. Second, that Israeli forces penetrated Egyptian territory at a point 35 miles northwest of Akaba. Third, that the Israeli airforce appeared over El Ghamer in Transjordanian territory March 3 ### 4 and considerable forces of Israeli jeeps and armored cars, supported by planes. ###ssed Arab Legion lines March 7, one kilometer west of Bir Ibn Ode and proceeded to southwest toward Wadi Jefrafi.”
Dr. Bunche informed Gen. Riley today that the head of the Transjordan delegation, Sudki Jundi, had handed him a cablegram from his government stating that “military operations against the Arab Legion at Wade Araba were continuing with the Israelis attacking Arab positions with tanks and armored cars,” The cablegram instructed Jundi to submit a strong protest to Dr. Bunche, asking him to stop the Israeli attacks “while negotiations are in progress,”
Dr. Bunche instructed the U.N. force in Palestine to increase the number of servers in the disputed area and told them to discourage any patrol activities which are “contrary to the truce.” Shiloah, for the Israeli Government, said that “those are regular patrols and were not intending to advance to Akaba.”
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