The Israeli and Syrian military working groups will sign an agreement Wednesday opening the way for the immediate exchange of all remaining prisoners of war on both sided, it was announced here today. The agreement will also involve other aspects of disengagement still outstanding. Israeli circles here believe that the two military teams will conclude their task of establishing the disengagement process by Wednesday, the deadline set by the disengagement accord signed last Friday, and that the Israeli delegation will be home by Thursday.
The two sides met for nearly three hours this morning at the Palais Des Nations in the presence of Gen. Ensio Sillasvuo, commander of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) and the American and Soviet representatives. The group will meet again tomorrow morning. A communique released by the UN after today’s meeting said that the group “has completed work on all basic documents that will be signed Wednesday. June 5.
Agreement has been reached on modalities for the exchange of all remaining POWs and the return of dead bodies.” A subcommittee will prepare the final maps that will be signed on Wednesday, the communique added.
About 55 Israeli POWs remain in Syria and nearly 400 Syrian and Moroccan POWs are still in Israel. Their repatriation is expected to be completed within 24 hours after the signing of the pact Wednesday, according to Red Cross officials. It is understood that the head of the Israeli delegation, May. Gen. Herzl Shafir asked the Syrians to authorize the use of excavating machines, land rovers and mixed Israeli-Syrian units to search for the bodies of missing soldiers. The Syrians reportedly accepted on condition that they would have equal facilities on the Israeli side of the cease-fire lines. Gen. Shafir and his Syrian counterpart May. Gen. Adwan Tayara entered the council chamber this morning carrying large maps, presumably of the disengagement zone. Conference circles said that both sides had shown “good will” in reaching the agreement.
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