A Soviet Union propaganda accusation, alleging that Israel’s chief of defense forces staff, Gen. Chaim Laskov, has visited here to plan for a joint Turco-Israeli attack against the United Arab Republic, was denied today by the Foreign Ministry here.
The canard had been transmitted by Tass, official U. S. S. R. news agency, and was denied as “crude fiction” in a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman in Jerusalem. Today’s Turkish denial attributes the false report to “Red Fleet,” organ of the U. S. S. R. Navy. “Red Fleet” stated that Gen. Laskov was in Turkey last month and had talks with Turkish officials who pledged that this country would support Israel in an attack against the United Arab Republic.
The Foreign Ministry’s statement today declared that the “Red Fleet” report was “without foundation,” and warned that the false report was issued with the aim of “deteriorating relations between Turkey and the brotherly Arab countries.”
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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.
