The Egyptian delegation informed the United Nations Conciliation Commission on Palestine today that it was prepared to continue talks on the basis of the commission’s five-point peace proposals.
The Egyptian answer came in reply to a letter from the commission to the Arab and Israeli delegations on October 31 asking them to reply by today whether they were willing to negotiate on “all points of the comprehensive pattern of proposals” the commission had submitted. The commission spokesman, announcing the Egyptian reply, said that the UN group would not consider today as a “deadline” for replies and would consider answers subsequently received.
The Israeli reply is expected to be submitted immediately after the arrival here of Israeli Foreign Minster Moshe Sharett who left Israel by plane for Paris this morning. There are no indications that Israel has changed her position from insistence that all parties agree to refrain from hostile acts as a condition of further negotiations.
The commission has been held up in the drafting of its report to the U.N. General Assembly, which opened here today by uncertainty as to whether or not the triangular peace talks are to continue or not.
John B. Blandford, Jr., director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, reported today that following consultations with the Arab States and with a special committee of the Arab League, the relief agency now hopes it has proposals for improvement of the situation of the refugees which will “stimulate large voluntary contributions from members of the United Nations.” He described the program as of a “constructive nature” that would enable refugees to become self-supporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
