Bonn Sees Pressures Toward Severance of German Aid to Israel

State Secretary Gunther von Hase, the West German press spokesman, confirmed here today that Spain and “other friendly nations” were mediating with the Government of Egypt in search of a solution to the West German-Egyptian deadlock over the forthcoming visit to Cairo of East German Communist leader Walter Ulbricht.

He made the statement amid growing fear that Egyptian pressure on the West German Government, linking the invitation to Ulbricht with West German military and other aid to Israel, was having the effect that both the Government and West German political parties were moving toward a position of favoring an end to military aid to Israel.

Von Hase told the news conference that Ambassador Georg Federer, the Bonn envoy to Egypt, who was called home for consultations over the Ulbricht invitation, would remain in Bonn for the time being. He also disclosed that the West German Government discussed Middle East problems briefly today. (See late dispatches on Page 2.)

It became, clear meanwhile, that the Bundestag, lower house of Parliament, would not consider in the near future a bill to forbid military aid by West Germany to countries outside of NATO, as had been proposed by Bundestag President Eugen Gerstenmair. Von Hase had previously forecast that this proposal would be raised in the Bundestag. Both Chancellor Ludwig Erhard’s Christian Democratic Union and the opposition Social Democrats said their parties would not raise the issue before Parliament.

Some Government circles were reported as fearing that Algeria and Iraq, both bitterly hostile to Israel, would invite Ulbricht if West Germany did not “draw the consequencex” of the Ulbricht visit to Cairo later this month.

In a related development, former Chancellor Konrad Adenauer today issued a statement advocating that the Government break its diplomatic relations with Egypt if Cairo recognizes Communist East Germany.