State Department spokesman Robert J. McCloskey said today that the United States was counseling both parties in the Middle East conflict to exercise restraint and hoped that the Russians were doing the same. He said it would be “fair to judge” that Moscow had the same attitude. McCloskey spoke in reply to questions on the expiration of the Suez cease-fire last night. President Nixon said yesterday that the U.S. and the Soviet Union were exerting “restraining efforts” on Israel and the Arabs. White House press secretary Ronald Zeigler told newsmen today that the President hadn’t spoken to the Russians before he made that statement. He added, “We’re pursuing the matter through diplomatic talks.” McCloskey said the U.S. supported United Nations Secretary General U Thant’s latest progress report on the Middle East “in general” and noted that it had “brought matters up to date.” But he flatly refused comment when asked by reporters several times whether the U.S. supported the portions of the Thant report critical of Israel. A State Department source said today that the U.S. would say nothing that would prejudice the position of the parties who must do the negotiating. Asked if there was danger of a U.S.-Soviet confrontation in the Middle East, the source said such danger always existed in the absence of a contracted peace between the disputing parties. The source would not say that the cease-fire was a “dead issue.” He said he did not know if the Big Four planned to issue a call for re-instatement of the cease-fire when they meet later this week.
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