U.a.r. Denies, in Letter to Security Council, Israeli Charges

The United Arab Republic denied today Israeli charges of renewed military activity along the Syrian-Israel border and charged in turn that Israel “has committed no less than 259 aggressive acts” in the area since the start of this year.

The UAR denial and counter-charge was contained in a letter submitted to the Security Council by Omar Loutfi, permanent representative of the UAR at the United Nations. He asked that the letter be circulated among all members of the Security Council, as Michael S. Comay, Israel’s permanent representative, had also done in reference to Israel’s complaint on July 1.

The UAR letter said that the UAR did not wish to discuss Israel’s charges “because an investigation is being carried out” by the Israel-Syria Mixed Armistice Commission “and so far no decision has been taken by this body.” The letter added that the Israel charges were “baseless since the facts have not been established.”

The UAR representative asserted that “the allegation by Israel that there is concentration of United Arab Republic troops in the Syrian-Israeli border area is totally unfounded.” He said that UAR troops in the area had not undertaken any provocative measures “and it is therefore entirely false that UAR troops have renewed unilateral armed action along the Syrian border.”

The letter added: “The aggressive policy of Israel with respect to the demilitarized zone is clearly indicated by the fact that Israel has committed no less than 259 aggressive acts in the said zone since January 1960, regarding which the UAR Government has submitted complaints” to the MAC.

Mr. Comay had cited five specific attacks by Syrian gunfire which had resulted in the death of one border patrol office and gunfire attacks against UN observers. The Israel complaint cited the Syrian attacks as occurring between June 11 and June 28.