The Federal Government here wants to normalize relations with Israel and hopes this will be realized in the “not too distant future,” press chief Felix von Eckhardt said at a press conference today. However, he added that the tine for such a step was not yet at hand. He stated that although the problem of the Arab attitude was not an easy one it might be solved in due time through “appropriate measures.”
(In Damascus, Syrian Prime Minister Sabri Assali said today that Syria will recognize Communist East Germany if West Germany establishes diplomatic relations with Israel. West Germany does considerable business with the Arab states. )
West Germany is not represented in Israel but Israel has for the past four years maintained in Cologne a purchasing mission whose staff members have diplomatic privileges and one of whom performs consular functions.
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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.