Members of the United Nations Security Council met informally today to seek agreement on a formula which would permit the Council to close the books on Israel’s complaint that Egyptian forces had violated the cease-fire agreement on Aug. 26 by ambushing an Israeli patrol in the Suez Canal area, killing two Israeli soldiers and abducting a third. Israel has asked for a condemnation of Egypt for the attack and Security Council action to secure the liberation of the abducted soldier.
Informed sources said there was little possibility of agreement on a resolution that would condemn Egypt for the attack and said that even if the necessary majority of nine could be obtained for such a resolution, it would not escape a Soviet veto. What will probably emerge, they said, is a “consensus” statement calling on both parties for strict observance of the cease-fire and closer cooperation with the Jarring mission. The statement, it was believed, might criticize Egypt for the episode, but in mild terms. The debate adjourned yesterday, without fixing a date for resumption, after hearing a demand from United States representative George W. Ball that both Israel and Egypt issue strict orders against violations to avert “a greater conflagration.”
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