Thursday As Deadline For Arab States’ Reply To Truce Plan

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 June 1948, Page 5

Thursday As Deadline For Arab States’ Reply To Truce Plan

(Recd. 2 p.m.) LONDON, June 7. The United Nations’ mediator, Count Bernadotte, asked the Arab Governments to deliver their replies to his four-week truce proposals by Thursday, says the Associated Press correspondent at Cairo. The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Azzam Pasha, called a meeting for tomorrow of Arab diplomats to discuss Count Bernadotte’s proposals after he had conferred with the Count. Both the Jewish and Arab forces seem to be holding their fire in Jerusalem today. There is a feeling that it is inevitable that the truce sought by the United Nations will soon be operative. The battle of Jerusalem has settled down to a desultory mortar duel. The Arab Legion commander continues to follow a policy of holding fire until fired upon and then returning 10 shells for every one received.

The Arab commander accused the Jews of using two institutions on top of Mount Scopus as fortresses, from which they were attacking Arab posts in the northern suburbs of Jerusalem. The commander said he could not withhold (ire from those points much longer. There was a brief cease-fire at noon today to allow the Arabs to return civilians, including a rabbi and his daughters, from the Old City to the New City. . They were trapped when the Old City was captured. In Cairo, King Farouk received the United Nations’ mediator, Count Bernadotte. The Egyptian Chamber of Deputies acceded to the Finance Minister’s request for an additional credit of £21,000,000 for the Palestine Campaign. _ . , “The Royal Air Force wireless station at Athalass, between Nicosia and Limassol, was burnt down this morning,” says Reuter’s correspondent in Kyrenia. “The . damage is estimated at several thousands of pounds. The cause is unknown. “This is the second Royal Air Force fire in Cyprus in a week. Five thousand gallons of petrol went up in flames on May 29 at the Nicosia airport, where American aeroplanes were standing by to evacuate Americans from the Middle East, if necessary.”