Families of Mias Demand Halt of Israeli Pull-back on Egyptian Front

The families of soldiers missing in action demanded today that the pull-back of Israeli forces on the Egyptian front be halted until all missing soldiers in that sector are accounted for. The demand was voiced at a press conference here by the parents and relatives of MIAs who charged that the Egyptians were evading the provisions of the disengagement agreement on the search for the remains of missing soldiers.

They claimed that about 370 Israeli soldiers are missing on the Egyptian front but so far only 67 bodies have been returned by the Egyptians. Once the Israeli withdrawal from the west bank of the Suez Canal is completed and Israeli forces retire to their new lines on the Gidi and Mitla passes, it will be impossible to recover the remaining bodies, the families argued. They urged the government to appoint a special team of experts to undertake a thorough search of the area and to delay withdrawal of Israeli forces until the search is completed.

3RD PHASE OF WITHDRAWAL COMPLETED

Israeli forces meanwhile have completed the third phase of their withdrawal from the west bank of the canal. They have taken up a line snaking through sand dunes to the central portion of the Great Bitter Lake. The Israelis so far have evacuated two-thirds of the west bank salient they occupied in the Yom Kippur War. Indonesian and Canadian units of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) took over the evacuated area today and will hand it over to the Egyptians tonight. The fourth and final phase of the withdrawal is expected to be completed by Feb. 21 when the last Israeli units cross the Suez Canal into Sinai.