The Syrian Government has delivered a second protest to the Bonn Government against its reparations deliveries to Israel, it was learned here today. The note to the Foreign Office said that it was a protest in behalf of the Arab League as well as the Syrian Government.
This note draws the attention of the West German Government to a number of specific reparations shipments which Syria contends could be used to equip an Israel armaments industry. It is understood that the German Government has denied this charge, stressing that under the latest reparations shipment schedule agricultural machinery has first priority and that in any case none of the materials shipped to Israel is suitable for armaments production.
Diplomatic circles here believe that the Syrian note was dispatched in preparation for a meeting of the Arab League’s economic council which opened yesterday in Cairo to consider the problem of Israel reparations receipts in relation to the efficacy of the Arab boycott program.
Commenting on reports that the German Government received a note earlier this month from the Arab League in reference to possible German-Israel diplomatic relations, a German Foreign Office spokesman explained that since there are no diplomatic relations between Bonn and the Arab League no formal note could have been or was received. A communication, however, has admittedly been received, although its nature has not been made public.
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