Differences of opinion on the status of Palestine prevented the representatives of Egypt and Saudi-Arabia from coming to a definite understanding on the project of Arab unity discussed here at a special conference which concluded this week, the Cairo press reports today.
A joint communique issued here in behalf of the Egyptian Premier Mustafa Nahas Fasha and the acting Foreign Minister of Saudi-Arabia Youssef Yassin, announces that the talks between the two statemen have been suspended, indicating that they would be resumed after Yassin reports to King Ibn Saud on the results of his efforts to impress the Egyptian Premier with Ibn Saud’s desire to have the Palestine problem solved immediately. It is understood that Yassin failed to convince Nahas Pasha, apparently because the Egyptian Premier has promised the British Government to leave the Palestine question open until after the war.
While unable to reach an agreement on the Palestine issue, the two Arab statesmen emphasized in their communique that “perfect accord has been reached on general principles which His Majesty King Abdul Aziz (Ibn Saud) had instructed his faithful delegate to transmit.” The Premier of Egypt and the representative of Saudi Arabia conferred on four occasions prior to issuance of this short official statement.
The demand of King Ibn Saud that Arab countries seek an immediate solution of the Arab-Jewish question in Palestine is one of his major conditions for Saudi-Arabia’s participation in a pan-Arab congress which the premier of Egypt is anxious to convoke in Cairo in order to plan the establishment of a Pan-Arab Federation. The talks between Sheik Yassin and Premier Nahas are the third in a series of cordial discussions on the wide issues of Pan-Arabism that the Egyptian Premier has held. The first was with the Premier of Iran, Nuri es Said, and the second with the Premier of Transjordan, Tewfik el Hada Pasha. Recently, in token of its interest in a possible Arab federation, the Egyptian Government sent a delegation to King Ibn Saud which resulted in the visit to Cairo of Sheik Yassin.
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.
