The Arab States which will be represented at the Asian-African Conference opening at Bandung, Indonesia, next Monday, have launched a diplomatic drive to have the question of Arab-Israel relations placed on the conference agenda and to secure advance commitments for a resolution condemning Israel “for aggression in the Middle East.”
Dr. Mohammed Fadhil Jamali, head of the Iraqi delegation, was quoted today in dispatches from Bandung as stating that he had arrived early on the conference scene to make certain that the question of Israel would be placed high on the parley agenda.
Dr. Jamali said he planned to meet with the heads of all the delegations to the conference to discuss Arab-Israel relations, to enlist their support against the Jewish State and their backing of demands that the Arab refugees be returned to Palestine. Israel was not invited to the Bandung Conference, despite the insistence of Premier U Nu of Burma, because of the Arab opposition.
Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian dictator, in pre-parley conferences at New Delhi, India, reportedly sought to follow up signature of the Indian-Egyptian friendship treaty last week by commitments from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India to support Egypt in its dispute with Israel and, specifically, for an Indian pledge to support a resolution at Bandung condemning Israel.
Despatches from New Delhi reported that Prime Minister Nehru was cool to this proposal and there were indications here today that India might seek to sidetrack such a resolution if it came to a showdown at Bandung.
INDIAN DIPLOMAT HAS RESERVATIONS
Dr. Arthur S. Lall, head of the Indian delegation to the United Nations, in a panel interview carried by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from U.N. headquarters, indicated considerable reservations about action at Bandung on a resolution condemning Israel.
His remark that it “remains to be seen” whether such a resolution would be put before the conference and whether the conference would have time to consider it was interpreted by observers here as an indication that India would prefer to see such a resolution shelved without any vote.
That a primary interest of the Arab States in the Bandung conference is as a potential platform for a diplomatic assault on Israel was indicated in an editorial in the Cairo daily, Al Akbar, which was transmitted here today. The paper declared that the conference “will be most suitable for raising Arab questions and for securing resolutions in their support. The organizers of the conference refused to invite Israel, and that indicates the respect and appreciation enjoyed by the Arab States.”
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