After several failures, on November 11, 1973, the Egyptians and Israelis signed a ceasefire agreement which ended the Yom Kippur War. This is respected and concerns the cessation of fighting, the exchange of prisoners and the positions of troops on the ground.
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The Yom Kippur War began on October 6, 1973, with the offensive launched by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who succeeded President Nasser. The main objective is to reconquer two territories annexed by Israel at the end of the Six-Day War in 1967: the Sinai Desert to the south and the Golan Heights to the north. The United States and President Nixon, entangled in the Watergate affair, immediately gave their support to Israel. As a result, the Arab countries decided, on October 17, 1973, to impose an embargo on oil to Western countries. This is the first oil shock.
Despite the sophisticated weaponry provided by the Soviet Union, Egypt was unable to hold positions in the desert and the Israeli army quickly regained control over strategic points.
On October 22, 1973, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 338, negotiated by the United States and the Soviet Union. This resolution reaffirms the validity of Resolution 242 adopted during the Six Day War (June 1967) and calls on Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Israel for an immediate ceasefire.
The diplomatic efforts of the head of American diplomacy, Henry Kissinger, eventually led to a definitive agreement on the ceasefire, signed on November 11, 1973. This agreement was respected and the peace process initiated by Kissinger ended in the peace agreements signed in December during the summit in Geneva.
The French media widely cover the Yom Kippur War and are following the entry into force of the ceasefire with great attention. Extract from the France Inter newspaper of November 12, 1973:
This sound archive was produced with the assistance of the RFI sound library and the INA.