The Israeli purchasing mission which will place orders in Germany for goods and services for Israel under the terms of the German-Israel reparations pact ratified by the Bundestag last night, will begin to operate at full speed by the middle of next month, it was indicated here today at the headquarters of the mission.
So far the skeleton staff of the mission has been working on the groundwork of its task. However, it already has a detailed purchasing program drawn up and ready to put into effect. Its chief, Dr. F. Shinnar, is flying back to Israel tomorrow for last-minute instructions and is expected back here with the remaining members of the mission sometime during the first half of April.
The treaty provides that some $48,000,000 be made available to Israel by March 13, 1953 and that a similar sum be paid by March, 1954. However, half of the 1954 sum will become available within a matter of weeks, giving the Israeli mission $72,000,000 to spend almost immediately. It is understood that more than $14,000,000 of this sum will be applied to oil products delivered to Israel by British companies and for which Germany paid from her surplus sterling balances.
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