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Turkey Resents Pakistan’s Meddling into Arab-israel Dispute

May 24, 1954
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The Pakistan role of encouraging the anti-Israel stand of the Arab countries is resented in Turkey and may develop into a threat to the Turkish-Pakistani pact on which the United States Government is building its Middle East policy against Communism, it was reported today from Istanbul by the New York Times.

The report says that the Turks are unwilling to sacrifice their flourishing trade with Israel and become a party to the Arab-Israel dispute. They are particularly concerned over a proposal made last month by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, that the Arab states should “associate” with other Moslem countries in seeking a solution of the Arab-Israel problem.

Mr. Zafrulla Khan’s call for a Moslem conference on Israel and the belief that Pakistan has encouraged King Hussein of Jordan to proceed with plans to convoke such a conference in Amman “have deeply disquieted the Turks” the New York Times cable from the Turkish capital says. The Turks are also disturbed that Iraq, which has been promised arms by the United States, is actively cooperating with Pakistan in “stiffening Arab intransigeance on the Israeli issue, ” the report states.

“The Turks think one of the conditions for receiving United States aid should be agreement to concentrate on the real danger rather than continuing to agitate against Israel, which the Turks consider an accomplished fact in the Middle East’s geography, ” the report declares.

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