Israel Charges Egypt with Non-cooperation at Gaza Border Talks

A second meeting of Israel and Egyptian representatives under the chairmanship of Maj. Gen. E.L.M. Burns, United Nations truce chief, was held at Kilometre 95 along the Gaza strip border today. The talks are designed to work out a plan to ease tension along the frontier.

After the meeting, an Israel spokesman charged that Egyptian opposition to any undertaking entailing effective cooperation with Israel for the prevention or reduction of border tension became “more and more apparent” at today’s meeting. The spokesman, a Foreign Ministry official, said that the Egyptian delegate to the talks had objected to a proposed arrangement under which minor border incidents could be settled by local military commanders of both sides. The Egyptian also reported on sentences meted out to infiltrators who were caught by the Egyptian authorities.

At yesterday’s meeting, when an agenda was finally adopted, the parties discussed Gen. Burns’ proposals for joint patrols along the border, for the use of regular troops and disciplined police personnel to be used in border positions, and for the conclusion of a local commanders’ agreement to minimize incidents. The joint patrol proposal was laid over for further study and later discussion while the parties turned their attention to the other two points, achieving–in the words of a UN communique–some progress.

Meanwhile, a unit of Egyptian soldiers penetrated Israel territory in the Kissufim area, opposite the Gaza border, last night, but were driven off by an Israel patrol. Another patrol today routed a gang of infiltrators who invaded almond groves of the Mivtachim settlement, near the Gaza border. The Egyptians, who had picked almost a ton of almonds before they were discovered, were covered by a group of riflemen. The Israel patrol, which was fired on by the Egyptians, laid down such a heavy fire that both guards and pickers filed, leaving their loot behind in sacks.