United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold was expected to return here tonight from Damascus where he flew this morning in an effort to secure Syrian agreement to a cease-fire along the Israel frontier. The Syrian Government, it is understood, is refusing to agree to a cease-fire unless Israel promises not to resume work on the Jordan water project at Bnot Yaacov, near the Syrian border.
Israel leaders were extremely reserved today in commenting on Mr. Hammarskjold’s sudden flight to Damascus. Officially it was denied here that Israel had every agreed, or hinted to Mr. Hammarskjold or to anybody else, that she would not resume work on the Jordan water project in compliance with Syria’s demand.
Prior to his departure this morning, the Secretary General conferred for two hours with Premier David Ben Gurion, Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett and Israel’s Chief of Staff Gen. Moshe Dayan. He had planned to fly to Rome today on his way back to New York. The sudden flight to Damascus will delay his leaving the Middle East on schedule.
The five Dutch airmen apprehended yesterday in an Egyptian-chartered plane taking aerial photographs over Israel territory were released today after being interrogated in the presence of the Dutch Minister to Israel. The five spent the night in a hotel at Lydia airport.
Their plane, a KLM Dakota, was intercepted by Israeli fighters over Maktesh Rimon, in the Negev, and was forced to land at Lydda where aerial photographic equipment was found in the plane. A sixth member of the crew was an Egyptian air force officer.
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