President Habib Bourghiba, of Tunisia, made a statement in the old city of Jerusalem, on the Jordanian side, yesterday, interpreted by some Arab circles as asking for “moderation and reason in dealing with the Jews,” according to a Beirut dispatch received here today. Mr. Bourghiba came to Beirut today for a visit to Lebanon, after touring Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and is going from Lebanon to Iran and Iraq.
“We have not persecuted the Jews, and we can still cooperate with them on the basis of mutual respect,” the Arab press reported President Bourghiba as saying. Some of the Arab newspapermen attending the Jerusalem press conference where he made that statement interpreted his remarks as applying to Israel politically.
The pro-Nasser Beirut newspaper, Al Anwar, declared today: “We know his credo is moderation and the principle of ‘take what is offered you and ask for more later.’ It would seem that his statement yesterday derived from this principle, which can apply to all questions except Palestine.”
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