Jarring Peace Mission Seen in Israel and Egypt As at an Impasse

The peace mission of Gunnar Jarring, the United Nations special envoy to the Middle East, has reached an impasse at the end of its first phase during which the Swedish diplomat solved a number of marginal problems, according to Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper.

Quoting “political sources,” the newspaper said that the UN envoy had brought about an Israeli agreement with Egypt on clearing the blocked Suez Canal so that 15 stranded foreign vessels will be able to leave, and the agreement under which all prisoners of war were exchanged this week between the two countries. However, on the basic Issue of peace in the region, there has been no progress, Haaretz asserted. Jarring has conferred repeatedly with Israeli and Arab officials, except those of Syria, which refuses to talk to him.

The Arab states were understood to have rejected Israel’s position that direct talks must precede all other matters and Israel, in turn, has rejected the Arab demand that Israeli forces must be withdrawn from occupied areas before other matters can be considered. The envoy was reported to have agreed to Israel’s stand that the UN Security Council resolution authorizing his mission did not call for unconditional withdrawal by Israel.

The Haaretz report was in effect confirmed by the semi-official Egyptian newspaper, Al Ahram. whose editor, Hasseinen Haikal, is known to be close to President Nasser. Haikal wrote that Jarring’s mission had reached a deadlock and that the Arab states had rejected Israel’s offer to discuss new borders, freedom of shipping, the refugee problem and cancellation of the Arab anti-Israel boycott. Haikal added that since the envoy apparently had brought no other proposals for negotiation, a settlement of the Arab-Israel conflict by political means was ruled out and that a new war was perhaps to be expected, a theme the Egyptian editor has expounded previously during Jarring’s visits to the Arab capitals.

Abba Eban, Israel’s Foreign Minister, told the Cabinet today that the Swedish envoy was expected to come here for another visit at the end of the week. The Foreign Minister also reviewed the talks with Jarring leading to the Israeli agreement to allow Egypt to proceed with clearing operations at the southern end of the Suez Canal which will allow the stranded foreign vessels to leave. The Foreign Minister stressed the agreement covered egress only southward for the ships, which have been stranded since the June war.

Informed sources here confirmed that UN Secretary General U Thant had discussed with Israel’s Ambassador at the UN, Josef Tekoah, an Egyptian request for a survey of the entire canal for a possible release of the merchant ships at the north end but that Israel had refused.