Arab Leaders to Resume Talks on Pan-arab Federation; Washington’s Views Awaited

The exploratory conversations with regard to the formation of a pan-Arab Federation which were initiated by the Egyptian Premier Mustapha Nahas Pasha, will be resumed in Cairo next week with the arrival here of a Syrian delegation headed by the Premier of Syria, it was learned here today.

The return to Cairo of a special Egyptian mission which just visited King Ibn Saud in Saudi-Arabia for the purpose of explaining to him the advantages of the establishment of a pan-Arab Federation is also expected within the next few days. It is understood that Ibn Saud, “the strong man of Arabia,” did not modify his opposition to the idea of creating a pan-Arab Federation, but expressed no objection to modified objectives. The position of King Ibn Saud is expected to be considerably influenced by the outcome of the talks in Washington next week between President Roosevelt and Emir Feisal, the son of Ibn Saud, who is due to arrive in the United States at the end of this week.

The question of Palestine will naturally be among the problems which will come up at the resumed conversations here next week between the leaders of the various Arab countries. It is believed that the idea of forming a pan-Arab Federation will not meet with any success since it involves partial surrender of sovereigns Instead, a basis will be sought for the creation of a homogenous block of Arab countries to secure concerted action on questions affecting all Arab states.

The Arab News Agency today reported that Egypt is preparing to turn large parts of the Sinai desert into cultivatable land through a special irrigation scheme. The land lying between the Suez Canal and the Eastern frontier will be irrigated from dams and reservoirs which will be built by the Egyptian Government, the report said.