Secretary-General U Thant said here today that the situation in the Middle East was deteriorating but he did not intend to pull United Nations cease-fire observers away from the embattled Suez Canal zone. Mr. Thant spoke to newsmen after a meeting with Pope Paul VI. He said the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France had a special responsibility to act urgently. He said the Four Powers should work to put into effect the November, 1967 Security Council resolution on the Middle East.
Rumors circulated in various capitals last week that Mr. Thant was considering the withdrawal of UN forces from the Suez Canal area unless Israel and Egypt agreed to proposals to increase their protection. UN observation posts on the Israeli-held side of the canal have been pounded by Egyptian artillery and at least one UN officer has been wounded. In a recent report to the Security Council on the collapse of the cease-fire on the Suez Canal, Mr. Thant mentioned the increasing danger to which UN personnel were exposed. Mr. Thant last week suggested that “safe perimeters” be established around UN installations. He maintained that encroachments on UN posts by Israelis and Egyptians was “a primary cause of firing on or near UN observation posts.”
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