Chancellor Ludwig Erhard’s statement yesterday offering diplomatic relations with Israel was conveyed to the Israeli mission in Cologne, State Secretary Karl-Gunther von Hase said today. However, he refused to comment on the fact that Dr. Kurt Birrenbach, so-called “secret envoy” for the Chancellor, had suddenly been recalled from Washington and sent post-haste to Israel to confer there with Prime Minister Levi Eshkol.
Mr. von Hase, information officer for the Government, refused to confirm a report that the Iraqi Ambassador to Germany has been recalled by the Baghdad Government in protest against the Erhard offer to Israel. He did say that Arab ambassadors, including the envoy from Egypt, have been called to the Foreign Ministry here and told of the Erhard decision regarding Israel.
He said also that the Chancellor views criticisms of his new stand by the opposition Social Democratic Party as “not very helpful.” The Social Democrats have said that Dr. Erhard’s new policy was “insufficient.” Mr. von Hase re-emphasize a point he made in issuing the Erhard announcement yesterday to the effect that the Chancellor had taken the decision on his own responsibility.
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.
