Evening star., 1961-07-24
TUNISIA
French Accused of MAKING
New Landing Near Bizerte
Continued From First Page

pC4 oOIlIlCl "CLC DOdI OlIlS OIupo
anchored in the harbor. A
French officer said they were
headed for vacations in France.
Streams of Tunisians headed
out of Bizerte on the road to
Tunis, 40 miles southeast of
that city. But they denied they
were evacuating the Arab
quarter for future battle pur-
poses. They said they were
afraid hostilities would start
up again and they felt unsafe
under the cease-fire, ordered
Saturday by the U. N. Security
Council.
Mr.. HammarSkjold'S flight
from New York was routed via
Zurich and Rome. He was joined
in Zurich by Pier Pasquale Spi-
nelli of Italy. director of the
U. N. European office and an
expert on Middle East affairs.
The Tunisian government,
meanwhile, invoked new re-
Strictive measures against
France.
Ell Aouina airfield, Tunisia's
only international airport was
closed to all Air Force planes.
Air liaison with France was
maintained by the national air.
line Tunis Air, which has an
average of two flights daily.
French citizens in Tunisia
were ordered to get special au-
thorizatlon from the Interior
Ministry before leaving the
country.
French assets in Tunisian
banks were blocked. The banks
already had been ordered to
change no French money.
Tension remained high with
French tanks and paratroopers
standing watch through battle
SCARED Bizerte and weary,
watchful Tunisian forces hold
ing out in the native Casbah.
670 Dead Counted
The Tunisian News Agency
reported total of 670 dead had
been counted in Bizerte and
put the wounded at 1900.
The Tunis press charged new
"provocations" and violations
Of the truce by the French.
These reports said French
planes had flown over the
towns of Kasserine in the
north and Ell Kef, near the
Algerian frontier.
Complying with a cease-fire
call by the United Nations
Security Council, both sides
stopped the hard fighting that
erupted last week after the
Tunisians besieged the base
and sent a flag-planting ex-
pedition into the French-held
Sahara desert.
The Security Council resolu-
ton also called on both nations
to pull back to their pre-battle
positions, but French govern
ment sources said France would
not comply until the Tunisian
government guaranteed her
free communications to and
between the various installa-
tions Of the Bizerte base.
The French sources in Paris
said Vice Admiral Maurice
Amman, commander of the
Bizerte base, and Tunisian Of
ficials should first negotiate a
return to normal conditions,
including an end to the block
ade the Tunisians imposed a
week ago. Then, they said. the
political problem of Bizerte's
future should be settled on a
government level between
France and Tunisia.
There was no exact informa-
tion on the column of "volun-
teers" Tunisian President Habib
Bourguiba dispatched last week
to plant the Tunisian flag at
Sahara Marker 233, As miles
southwest of the French-de-
fined Tunisfan frontier in an
area claimed by Tunisia. The
semi-official Tunisian News
Agency said the French COM
mander in the area had issued
a 10-minute ultimatum for the
Tunisians to withdraw or face
attack, but apparently no at
tack took place.
Question of Face
Negotiations for a perma-
nent cease fire were held up
by an argument involving a
question of face. Admiral Am
man talked by telephone with
Tunisian Deputy Gov. Heidi
Mokaddem, but they immedi-
ately disagreed over a site for
their negotiations.
Mr.. Mokaddem insisted that
Gen. Amman come to his Of
fices, while Gen. Amman
suggested they be held in a
neutral" civilian building. The
Tunisians turned this down.
Mr.. Bourguiba, addressing
mourners at funeral services
for victims of the fighting, said
diplomatic negotiations were
under way outside the United
Nations. He limited he expected
the United States and Britain
to help Tunisia in the crisis.
Frence sources in Paris said
Mr.. Bourguiba seemed to be
trying to involve other nations
in the dispute in order to avoid
direct French-Tunisian talks.
The French want to keep the
issue on a bilateral basis.
1858 Bombing Recalled
In 1858, when French planes
bombed the Tunisian village of
Sakiet-Sid-Y -Youssef on the AL
gerian border and killed nearly
100 persons, a United States