Secretary General U Thant sharply condemned today recent anti-Israel activities of the Syrian-backed El Fatah terrorists as “insidious, contrary to armistice agreements” and said that they “menace the peace of the Middle East.”
Holding his annual press conference before the United Nations Correspondents Association, Mr. Thant described as “very deplorable” the “unfortunate” increase in activities by the El Fatah commandoes during the past few weeks. These recent activities, he said, “seem to indicate that those responsible for them have specialized training for this type of activity.” He said there was an obligation on the part of all states in the Middle East to keep the peace.
Replying to a question on the effectiveness of the United Nations in dealing with various world problems, Mr. Thant said that he felt that the fact that Israel and the Arab states are members of the United Nations has enabled the world body to play a significant role in keeping the peace in that area. Observers here noted that Mr. Thant’s statement today on the El Fatah terrorism was the strongest ever voiced by the Secretary General on the incursions by Arab marauders into Israel.
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