Italian Premier Amintore Fanfani conferred this week-end with Israel Ambassador Eliahu Sasson prior to the Premier’s scheduled departure for a four-day trip to Egypt as a guest of the Government of President Nasser. Between his arrival in Cairo on January 6 and his departure on the evening of the ninth, the Premier will meet several times with President Nasser, will sign an agreement for cultural exchanges between Italy and the United Arab Republic and will participate in public ceremonies.
Premier Fanfani is conferring with his Cabinet tomorrow when he will outline the objectives of his Cairo trip. No serious objection is expected from his fellow ministers. The public, too, seems to favor the journey.
Pietro Nenni, left-wing Socialist leader, in a statement hailing the mission, declared that there was “room” for Italy as well as all powers large and small in the affairs of the Middle East and Africa. “Fanfani’s trip is a positive fact,” he added, and “it should not be impossible to reach an agreement on military non-intervention and political non-interference in the Middle East.”
(In Jerusalem, Israeli officials declined to comment today on the fact that Italy’s Prime Minister, Amintore Fanfani, who will visit Cairo this week, will return home without coming here. However, it is understood that Israeli circles are not happy with that decision, nor with the fact that World Bank President Eugene R. Black, who is now visiting Cairo, will also bypass this country. Both Premier Fanfani and Mr. Black had been scheduled to come to Israel.)
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