Israel completed today an agreement with United Nations truce chief Gen. E.L.M. Burns providing for its officers to be present on any inspection tour of the Israel-Jordan border region which penetrates Israel territory.
The agreement, which ends a dispute between Israel and Gen. Burns over his insistence that he could send unescorted UN observation teams into any demilitarized territory without the consent of either party, was reached by Gen. Burns and Gen. Moshe Dayan, Chief of Staff of the Israel Army. Either Israel or Gen. Burns may initiate the sending of observers into a demilitarized area, if the situation calls for it, but the UN team must be accompanied by officers of the state in whose territory it is operating, according to today’s pact.
Meanwhile, Gen. Burns has gone to Amman to consult with members of the Jordan Government over the situation created yesterday by the refusal of a Jordan delegation to sign an agreement with Israel providing for direct communication between local commanders in the Jerusalem area to keep down tension along the front. The Jordanians, over Gen. Burns’ objections, insisted that Gen. Burns must be a full party to the pact, rather than just a witness.
It was learned today that Col. M. Bartholdi, chairman of the Israel-Egyptian Mixed Armistice Commission, has asked to be relieved of his assignment because of ill health. Egyptian sources claim he is resigning because of Egyptian pressure. Col. Bartholdi voted with Israel recently against the Egyptians in the case of the Bat Galim, Israel vessel seized in Suez waters by the Egyptians. A successor to Col. Bartholdi has not yet been named.
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