Middle East - Press Releases, Notes to Correspondents, Messages and Reports
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UN Secretariat Item Scan - Barcode - Record Title 92 Date 16/05/2006 Time 4:44:21 PM S-0861-0006-01-00001 Expanded Number S-0861 -0006-01 -00001 ntte |tems-in-Peace-keeping operations - Middle East - press releases, notes to correspondents, messages and reports Date Created 13/05/1967 Record Type Archival Item Container S-0861 -0006: Peace-Keeping Operations Files of the Secretary-General: U Thant: Middle East Print Name of Person Submit Image Signature of Person Submit UNITED NATIONS Press Services Office of Public Information United Nations, N.I. (FOR USE OF INFORMATION MEDIA. — NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD) Press Release SG/SM/710 13 May 1967 STATEMENT REGARDING REPORTS EMANATING FROM ISRAEL The following statement was issued today by a United Nations spokesman: "in reply to questions regarding the reports emanating from Israel on contemplated use of force against Syria, a United Nations spokesman said today that the Secretary-General has expressed very serious concern over such reports. He pointed out that the Secretary-General's answer to a question raised at the United Nations Correspondents Association luncheon on Thursday, 11 May, cannot be interpreted as condoning resort to force by any party. The Secretary-General reiterates his appeal to all parties to observe the Armistice Agreements." # #** * UNITED NATIONS Press Services Office of Public Information United nations, N.Y. (FOR USE OF Dtt'OBMA.TION MEDIA -- NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD) Press Release SG/SM/711* EMF/Ml6 20 May 196? SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MESSAGE TO THE COMMANDER OF UNEF Following is the text of a message sent on 19 May by the Secretary-General, U Thant, to Major General I.J. Rikhye, Cozncauder of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) : "Today, 19 May 1967, when the withdrawal of the United Nations Emergency Force from Gaza and Sinai is beginning, I am sending you this personal message. Your connexion with UNEF goes "back to the early days of its existence when you served most ably as its first Chief of Staff and as things have turned out you have also served as its last Commander. You, therefore, know as well as any- one what the Force has achieved and what it has meant not only in terms of the maintenance of peace and quiet in its area of operation, but also in terms of the broader concept of the capacity of the United Nations to maintain peace. You have served the cause of UNEF and the United Nations most devotedly at various times during the past ten years, and I know that the withdrawal of UNEF must be a correspondingly heavy blow for you personally. You have handled the very delicate situation of the last few days with great skill and firmness and you will, I know, conduct the withdrawal of the Force with equal ability. Please accept my warm appreciation for your most distinguished service as Commander of UNEF and my personal good wishes." « UNITED NATIONS * Press Services Office of Public Information United Nations, N.Y. (FOR USE OF mroRMATiON MEDIA — NOT AH OFFICIAL RECORD) Press Release SG/SM/715 EMF/1A7 20 May 196? SECRETARY-GENERAL'S MESSAGE TO ALL OFFICERS AND MSN OFUNEF Following is the text of a message sent on 19 May "by the Secretary-General, U Thant, to all officers and nen of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF): "Today, 19 May 19^7 j you will have received orders to commence the with- drawal of the United Nations Emergency Force from its area of operation in Gaza and Sinai. This means that within a relatively short space of time you will be returning to your home countries, and UNEF, the first peace-keeping force of the United Nations, will no longer exist. First of all, I wish to make it entirely clear that the withdrawal of UNEF at this time for overriding political reasons is in no sense the smallest reflection upon the performance or the behaviour of the Force. On the contrary, the Force has operated with outstanding success ever since the time of its establishment more than ten years ago, and the recent months have been no exception to this very fine record. In my special report of 18 May 1967 to the General Assembly on the decision to withdraw UNEF, I said the following: "'Finally, I must express the highest appreciation to the Governments of all the Members of the United Nations which have supported UNEF and especially to those which have provided the military contingents which made up the Force. The appreciation of the United Nations is also due to the many thousand officers and men who have served so loyally and with such distinction in UNEF. The Force at Its inception represented an extraordinary innovation in the efforts of the world community to find improved methods of keeping the peace. For more than ten years it has ful- filled its functions with a far greater degree of success than could have been hoped for. It is, in fact, tlte model upon which many hopes for the future effectiveness of the United Nations in peace keeping have been based.' (more) - 2 - Press Release SG/SM/715 EMF/W7 20 May 196? "The very anxiety throughout the world which the termination of IMSF at this particular time raises is in itself a measure of the value of the service which UHEF has performed. UiJGF by its conduct and the successful discharge of a very difficult task has certainLy proved that -che pioneering task of peace keeping undertaken by the United Nations in 1956 has never suffered from a lack of skilled, courageous, disciplined and devotee* soldiers of peace. "I wish to express to all of ycu. and also to the many thousands of officers and men who have served at ot:: or tines i,i UM3F, my warm appreciation and admiration for your loyal and disj:ir.gv.i£!."..ed service to the United Nations. I extend to all of you my best vrlshas for the future. " TV 7v"rt"vfr UNITED NATIONS Press Services Office of Public Information United Hations, N.Y. (FOR USE OP INFORMATION MEDIA -- NOT AW OFFICIAL RECORD) Press Release SG/T/16U 20 May 1967 SEGRETARY-GEI'JERAL _TO_ VISIT CAIRO A United Nations spokesman today made the following announcement: "As already announced, the Secretary-General was planning a trip to the Middle East, including a visit to the United Nations Emergency Force in Gaza and thereafter to Cairo towards the end of June and the beginning of July. In the present circumstances he has decided to advance his journey by a few weeks, and he will accordingly be leaving for Cairo on the evening of Monday, 22 May." * UNITED NATIONS Press Services Office of Public Information United Nations, N.Y. (FOR USE OF INFORMATION MEDIA — NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD) Press Release SG/T/165 23 May 1967 SECRETARY-GENERAL ARRIVES IN CAIRO (The following was received, froja a United Nations Information Officer accompanying the Secretary-General.) The Secretary-General, U Thant, and party arrived in Cairo today at 5 p.m. (local time). He wrs met at the airport by Mahmoud Riad, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Republic; General Indar Jit Rikhye, Commander of the United Nations Emergency Force: General Odd Bull, Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine; Laurence Michelmore, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugess in the Near East, and other United Nations officials. The Secretary-General and party are staying at the Nile Hilton Hotel, as the guests of the Government of the United Arab Republic. U Thant was scheduled to confer -with General Rikhye at his suite tonight, and has invited General Rikhye, General Odd Bull, and Mr. Michelmere for a working dinner. No other appointments were scheduled tonight, U Thant will call on Mr. Riad tompijrow morning at 10:00 a.m. (local time) at the latter?B office, En route to Cairo, the Secretary-General was greeted in Paris by Guy de Lacharriere,, Director of United Nations Affairs at the French Foreign Office, and ¥, Gibson Parker, Director of the United Kntions Information Centre in Faris. In Rome, he conferred at the airport with Amintore Fanfani, Foreign Minister of Italy. The Secretary-General made no statements to the press. # #** * UNITED w A T i o SA s Press Services Office of Public Information United Nations, N.Y. (FOR USE OF INFORMATION MEDIA — WOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD) Press Release SG/T/166 2k May 1967 HOLDS TALKS IN CAI2Q WITH HJRSIGN MINISTER 0? UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC (The following was received from a United Nations Information Officer accompanying the Secretary-General.) The Secretary-General, U Thant, met this morning with the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Republic, Mahmoud Riad, for two-and-a-half hours, from 9:40 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., local time. They exchanged views on several aspects of the situation in the Middle East. Major General Indar Jit Rikhye, Commander of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), took part in the talks. At 2:30 p.m. the Secretary-General attended a lunch given in his honour by the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Republic at the Tahrir Club. Also attending the lunch were the Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, Manmoud Fawzi; high officials of the Foreign Office; General Odd Bull; Coumauder of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO); General Rikhye; Laurence Michelmore, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UMRWA); the Resident Representative in Cairo of the United Nations Develop- ment Programme (UNDP), Vojko P.