There was growing speculation today that Ambassador Gunnar V. Jarring, who returned to United Nations headquarters two days ago, is ready to terminate his role as special UN mediator in the Middle East. According to a UN spokesman, Dr. Jarring returned to discuss the future direction of his peace mission. Sources said that the envoy seems more frustrated than ever in his efforts to break the stalled peace talks and that he may decide to return full time to his job as Sweden’s ambassador to the Soviet Union.
These speculations were rife in the wake of Secretary General Kurt Waldheim’s proposal that he act as chairman of a Mideast peace conference in which Dr. Jarring would presumably play a secondary role. Waldheim indicated that he is willing to take over the role of mediator, at least temporarily, during separate discussions last week with Israel’s Ambassador Yosef Tekoah and Egypt’s Ambassador Ahmed Abdel Maguid.
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