Andrew Cordier, executive assistant to United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, began meeting today with top Israel Foreign Ministry officials on the Mt. Scopus conflict between Israel and Jordan. Mr. Cordier, the third personal envoy sent to the Middle East by Mr. Hammarskjold to work on the Mt. Scopus problem, is seeking to find out which subjects each side wishes to raise.
It is understood that the Israelis want to discuss implementation of Article VIII of the armistice agreement which provides for the resumption of normal humanitarian and cultural activities in the Israeli enclave. Israel feels that implementation of this section is the only way to prevent further trouble on the height, since it could arrange the details of normalization while at the same time representing an expression of Jordan’s willingness to honor the letter and spirit of the armistice pacts.
The Israelis hold that tension in the area of Mt. Scopus, or in Israel-Jordan relations generally is intentionally created by Amman. Israel believes that the United States could assist by advising Jordan to adopt a less provocative attitude. It is thought that these problems were raised when Premier David Ben Gurion and United States Ambassador Edward B. Lawson conferred last week-end.
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