Members of the United Nations Conciliation Commission, on their arrival today from Beirut, conferred with Israeli Premier David Ben Currion and. with Dr. Walter Eytan and Reuven Shiloah of the Foreign Ministry. Later, the Commission members proceeded to Jerusalem.
The three-hour meeting was devoted chiefly to discussion of the recent Beirut easing between the Commission members and representatives of the Arab states. One report was that the Israeli officials today said that on the refugee problem the government preferred discussions with each Arab state individually. It is also understood that not much progress was made at today’s talks.
Earlier, a Commission press officer said that members the body now recognizes that the refugee problem cannot be solved completely before a final settlement of the entire Palestine question when the Israeli frontiers are permanently laid down, Rereading the Beirut conference between the Commission and representatives of the Ares states, the spokesman declared that the chief items on the agenda had all dealt vies various aspects of the refugee problem and with the future of Jerusalem.
He denied that the forthcoming Arab-Israeli meeting at Geneva would resemble a round-table peace conference. It will consist only of an exchange of views under the name roof, he asserted, adding that he hoped the Geneva meeting would be held before the end of the month. Iraq, he said, was the only country which had refused to meet with Israel, on the grounds that there was no useful purpose in a Joint conference until the refugee problem had been settled finally.
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