Turkey is apparently playing an active role behind the scenes in behalf of an Israel-Arab settlement, observers here believe. They infer this from a recent speech by President Celal Bayar and from the activities of Turkish diplomatic circles whenever an Arab statesman visits Turkey.
The most recent indication came during an exchange of toasts between the President and visiting King Faisal of Iraq, when President Bayar said that Turkey considers it its duty to solve the Palestine problem, among other Middle East conflicts, with justice and moderation. He further appealed to all countries involved in the Palestine dispute to “show confidence, understanding and cooperation so that our common efforts may yield good results.”
The Iraqi King, however, did not rise to the offer. He showed no interest in mediation, instead thanking Turkey for backing the Arabs in the Palestine situation, particularly during the recent Bandung conference. He also stated that the Iraq-Turkish-British peat strengthens “Arab security.”
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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.