Mideast situation/Status of the Cease-fire/Observer posts – SecGen report

Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the cease-fire

observation operations in the Middle East

1.  With the establishment of the United Nations Emergency Force in the Middle East (see document S/11055), there are now two United Nations peace-keeping missions in the Middle East:  the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine (UNTSO).  It may be useful to outline briefly the status of the cease-fire observation operations carried out by UNTSO.

Egypt-Israel sector

2.  In pursuance with the consensus approved by the Security Council on 9/10 July 1967, United Nations military observers were stationed along the Suez Canal on both sides of it to observe the cease-fire.  Fifteen observation posts (OPs) were established for this purpose, eight on the east side of the Canal and seven on the west side (see S/7930/Add.l788).

3.  As reported*in documents S/7930/Add.2l6l and 2165 those OPs had to be evacuated following the outbreak of hostilities on 6 October 1973, and by 9 October all the OPs had been closed.

4. Following the adoption of Security Council resolution 339 (1973) of 23 October 1973, the Chief of Staff made arrangements for the deployment of United Rations observers in the vicinity of the forward defended localities (FDLs) of the Egyptian and Israeli forces in order to supervise the cease-fire called for the Security Council.  There are now at present nine United Nations patrols from the Egyptian side controlled from the Ismailia Control Centre and six from the Israeli side controlled from the Kantara Control Centre (at Rabah).

As of 28 October those patrols are in the following localities:1/

6. The United Nations military observers have continued to carry out their observation duties after the establishment of UNEF. As provided for in the report of the Secretary-General of 27 October 1973 (S/11052/Rev.l) UNEF will have the co-operation of the military observers of UNTSO in the fulfilment of its tasks.

Israel-Syria sector

7. The cease-fire observation operation in the Israel-Syria sector was first set up in pursuance of Security Council resolutions 235 (1967) of 9 June 1967 and 236 (1967) of 12 June 1967.  In this connexion, seven OPs, as well as the Quneitra Outstation, were established along the limits of the Israel forward defended localities indicating the cease-fire line on the Israeli side and nine OPs were established on the Syrian side.

8. During the hostilities of 6 October 1973, eight OPs were evacuated, but the remaining ones have continued to function (see S/7930/Add.2l6l, 2204 and 2205).

9.  Following the adoption of Security Council resolutions 338 (1973) and 339 (1973), the existing cease-fire arrangements were readjusted to the new situation and some of the United Nations military observers were redeployed. According to the redeployment plan, three OPs and the Quneitra Outstation on the Israel side and two OPs on the Syrian side have continued to function as before, while the duties previously performed by the other OPs have been transferred to the United Nations patrols. Those on the Israeli side are controlled by the Tiberias Control Centre, and those on the Syrian side by the headquarters of the Israel-Syria Mixed Armistice Commission (ISMAC) in Damascus.

10.  As  of 28 October the  following OPs  and patrols  are in operation:

11. The cease-fire observation operation in the Israel-Lebanon sector was established in pursuance of the consensus approved by the Security Council on 19 April 1972. A total of five OPs were established on the Lebanese side of the armistice demarcation line (ADL), under the control of the headquarters of the Israel-Lebanon Mixed Armistice Commission (ILMAC) in Beirut.

12. The October 1973 hostilities have not affected this armistice demarcation line, and all five OPs in that sector have continued to function as before.

13. The locations of the five OPs, as well as the Naqoura Outstation, are as follows:

Future reports on the status of the cease-fire

14. Up to now the information received from the Chief of Staff of UNTSO concerning the status of the cease-fire have been transmitted to the Security Council as supplemental information reports in the S/7930/Add. … series, which was initiated after the outbreak of the June 1967 hostilities. Since then, in the course of more than six years, no less than 2,237 addenda have been circulated As a matter of convenience, future reports on the status of the cease-fire will br circulated in a new series as addenda to the present report.

1/ MR – map reference; AMR – approximate map reference.