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Italian Delegates Saw No Signs That Nasser Wishes Peace with Israel

May 4, 1959
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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Members of an Italian Government economic mission to Cairo returned here today convinced that in their meetings with President Gamal Abdel Nasser of the United Arab Republic he showed no disposition to reach a final settlement with Israel although he privately assured delegation members that the UAR had no aggressive tendencies toward Israel.

A member of the mission categorically denied the report published in a leading Rome newspaper that the mission had informed the Arabs Italy intended to reduce its activities with Israel in order to better its relations with the UAR. A report to that effect had appeared in the newspaper II Messagers as a dispatch from Cairo. The report was not attributed to the mission itself but to “other sources” which were believed here to be Arab.

It was understood that the mission requested the UAR Government to suspend the sale of property owned by Italian nationals, including several Jews, which had been sequestrated during the Sinai campaign and return it to its pre-existing juridical status. This would permit the owners either to sell or transfer it to Italy as provided in an agreement reached during Premier Amintore Fanfani’s visit to Cairo.

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