PEACE MISSION IN MIDDLE EAST

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28448, 30 November 1957, Page 15

PEACE MISSION IN MIDDLE EAST

Hammarskjold Leaves For Beirut (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) NEW YORK, November 28. Mr Dag Hammarskjold, the United Nations Secretary-General, will visit Jerusalem and Damascus as well as the Jordan capital of Amman during his Middle East peace mission, officials said today. Mr Hammarskjold will leave tomorrow specifically to try to maintain the Arab-Israeli armistice, threatened by border clashes and abductions in the explosive region. The Secretary-General’s first call is scheduled to be Beirut, headquarters of several of the United Nations Middle East operations. He is due there on Saturday night.

Next morning he is to go on to Amman for talks with Mr Samir Rifai, Jordan’s Foreign Minister, and other leaders. These will .centre on Jordan’s request for the removal of an American, Colonel Byron Leary, the United Nations truce supervision organisation’s acting chief of staff. Jordan accused him last weekend of bias in, favour of Israel Mr Hammarskjold replied that Colonel Leary had his full personal confidence. He appealed to the Jordanians to continue cooperation with the truce chief. In Damascus. Mr Hammarskjold is to confer with Mr Salah Eddinc Bitar, the Syrian Foreign Minister, who recently returned after leading Syria’s General Assembly delegation. Syria has threatened to bring her 1 case against Turkey before the 82-nation Assembly again before the adjournment—due on December 14—unless Turkish troops are withdrawn from stations near her frontier.

Although the Syrian dispute with Israel is expected to be the main purpose of Mr Hammarskjdd’s talks with Mr Bitar, observers said they were virtually certain to discuss the TurkishSyrian situation, too.

In the Assembly, Syria askejl for the setting up of an inquiry commission to look into her charges of Turkish threats to .her security and to international peace.

This move did not find general approval, and Syria finally agreed with the sponsors of a Western counter-resolution to let the question lapse without any vote, with the proviso that she would bring it up again if she saw fit to do so.

Mr Hammarskjold lunched today with Dr. Mahmoud Fawzi, the Egyptian Foreign Minister. They had a long conference afterwards, attended by Dr. Andre Cordier, the Secretary-General’s executive assistant. There was no official word about what was discussed, but observers speculated whether the outcome might be a visit to Cairo by Mr Hammarskjold for talks with President Nasser on the Suez Canal question and other outstanding issues.