Diplomatic envoys of Arab States accredited in Ankara today called on General Gursel, Premier of Turkey, and discussed with him Turkish-Arab relations. Although no official communique was issued, it is believed that they attempted to impress upon Gen. Gursel the importance of maintaining a cool relationship with Israel.
The collective visit of the Arab envoys to the new head of the Turkish Government was prompted by Iran’s recent reiteration of its de facto recognition of Israel, it is assumed in diplomatic circles here. Selim Sarper, Turkish Foreign Minister, was present during the meeting of the Arabs with Premier Gursel. The envoys represented the United Arab Republic, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia.
Hassan Arfa, Iran’s Ambassador to Turkey, declared at a press conference today that his country doesn’t contemplate de jure recognition of Israel. The Ambassador said Iran’s de facto recognition merely acknowledged the existence of Israel.
The Iranian Government was reported here today to have given a sharp rebuff to a Morrocan protest about the inclusion of an Israeli delegation in a recently held international Woman’s Alliance Conference in Teheran. According to press reports, the Iranian reply said that the inclusion of an Israeli delegation “had nothing to do with the Arab Governments, particularly in view of the fact that Arab and Israeli delegates sat together at all international conferences. Why this cry when Iran comes into the picture?” Iran emphasized.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
