The Arab delegations told the United Nations Conciliation Commission today that they are not prepared to remain in Lausanne for conditioned talks if Israel means to raise issues such as the demand for immediate with travel of all Arab armies from Palestine.
The Arabs are reported to have demanded the immediate return of 25,000 Arab refugees to work in Israeli orange groves before the delegates are prepared to discuss the question of frontiers with Israel.
The Egyptian and Trans Jordan delegations, which now appear to be working closely together, have indicated that they propose to leave Lausanne in a matter of days if no further advance can be made on the refugee issue. There is no sign of any such advance forthcoming from the Israeli side.
The Israelis yesterday agreed to take back the broken-up families of Arab refugees. They also explained to the Commission that the Israeli interpretation of compensation rules out the restitution of property previously held by refugees or their return to homes they previously inhabited. Israeli compensation would be paid into a general fund and returning refugees would be directed to homes where they could reside, the Israeli delegation explained.
(The New York Times today reported from Lausanne that Palestine Arab representatives there, supported by the Arab delegations, have proposed to the U.N. Conciliation Commission the creation of a mixed commission–composed of representatives of the Commission, Arab refugees and Israelis–for the purpose of establishing the status of Arab property in Palestine.)
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