Declaring that he would return to Israel and predicting that his talks with Israeli Government leaders would bring successful results, Dr. Kurt Birrenbach, personal emissary of West Germany’s Chancellor Erhard, told Israeli newspapermen at Lydda Airport prior to his departure this morning for Bonn that the establishment of German-Israeli diplomatic relations would be an historic turning point for both countries.
He said the joint communique issued here yesterday was not a final one, thus indicating that the talks had reached a stage where the West German had to give additional consideration to various details. Officials here said that despite the guarded tone of the official communique, an overall agreement had been reached and the need for more talks was due to the fact that the agreement involved a great number of details.
Dr. Birrenbach also said he had been very impressed by the “good spirit” in which his talks with the Israeli leaders were held and by the consideration they had shown for West German interests. He thanked the Israel Government for the friendly atmosphere of the talks.
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.
