President Arturo Frondizi of Argentina told a press conference here today that his Government was eager to maintain friendly relations with Israel, but that Israel has been requested to suggest “adequate reparation” for violating Argentine territory in the seizure of Adolf Eichmann.
Mr. Frondizi’s statement today, and Buenos Aires reports that Argentina had “officially” asked Israel to state her intentions on reparation, appeared to indicate that the Argentine Government did not, as did most members of the United Nations Security Council, consider formal passage of the Argentine resolution censuring Israel and Israel’s apology to Argentina as “adequate reparation.”
(In Jerusalem, today, the Israeli Foreign Ministry received a new note from the Argentine Government, requesting Israel to indicate what reparation it is ready to make for Eichmann’s seizure, in the light of last week’s Security Council resolution adopted at the United Nations.)
In general, in regard to Nazi war criminals, who had taken refuge in Argentina, the Argentine President said his government was “quite willing” to extradite them to West Germany. He insisted, however, that such requests should include itemized information on the crimes charged against the fugitives. He added: “It is not enough to refer to them as former Nazis.”
He said his Government had declared its readiness to extradite Dr. Josef Mengele, a medical murder specialist at the Auschwitz death camp, two weeks ago, despite the fact that there is no extradition treaty between Argentina and West Germany. He added that Mengele “no longer seems to reside at the location given by West German authorities.”
The Argentine president met yesterday with Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Informed sources said that the Chancellor insisted that negotiations be started for an extradition treaty between the two countries.
It was also reported that the Chancellor did not bring up the question of Argentine-Israel differences on Eichmann. Dr. Adenauer refrained from raising the issue, it was understood, because the West German Government does not want to interfere, although the EAdenauer regime would prefer that Eichmann be tried in a West German court.
It was indicated that the Eichmann case was discussed when Chancellor Adenauer received Dr. Felix Shinar, head of the Israel Purchasing Mission at Cologne, last night. There also was speculation that Dr. Shinar’s visit may have been connected with the foreign policy debate scheduled for tomorrow in the Bundestag.
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