Acting U.N. mediator Dr. Ralph Bunche’s top military and civilian aides, respectively–Brig. Gen. William Riley and Henri Vigler–were expected to leave here tomorrow for Syria to attempt to persuade the Syrians to evacuate the disputed hill “223” which they occupied last August in defiance of the U.N.’s truce resolution and from which they have not withdrawn despite a specific decision on the matter handed down by the United Nations.
Riley and Vigier conferred today with Dr. Walter Eytan, director-general of the Foreign Ministry, who emphasized the importance which the Tel Aviv government places on the carrying out of this U.N. decision. The U.N. officials–who raised the question of the height in Damascus yesterday–promised to ask the Syrians to reconsider the matter so that the Israeli-Syrian negotiation session scheduled to be held Tuesday take place without any delay.
(Reuters reported from Damascus yesterday that Col. Husni Zaim, Syrian army chief who seized power last week, warned Israel “to beware of the Syrian Army.” The news agency quoted Zaim as stating the Syrians would not negotiate an armistice with the Jewish state “under threat of arms,” Routers quoted Zaim as declaring: “This is not the same Syrian Army as five months ago. If the Jews enter into battle with us, they will be very much surprised. If they don’t believe this, let them try to disprove it.”)
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