The anti-Israel pledge in the treaty concluded between Iraq and Turkey came as a complete surprise to Western diplomats who were closely watching the negotiations between the two countries, it was learned here today.
The pledge is contained in an exchange of letters after the treaty was signed. The letters are attached to the treaty and their contents have been made public in a statement issued by the Iraq Government. Western diplomats now interpret the move as a bid by Iraq and Turkey to silence Egyptian criticism and obtain support of other Arab League states.
Especially surprising is Turkey’s subscription to the Iraqi viewpoint on Israel. The Turkish Embassy press attache in Washington said today that Turkish diplomatic authorities here are not yet in receipt of information from Ankara that would either confirm or refute the information from Baghdad regarding an anti-Israel clause in the Turkish-Iraqi pact.
Press attache Nuzhet Baba said he did not believe Turkey would take an anti-Israel position, but stressed that he was so far without authentic information on the reported exchange of letters between Turkish Premier Adnan Menderes and Iraqi Premier Nuri Said.
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.
