FEELERS FOR ARAB-JEW PEACE TALKS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22665, 16 June 1948, Page 5

FEELERS FOR ARAB-JEW PEACE TALKS

(11.30 a.m.) LONDON, June 15. Continuing his negotiations for permanent peace in Palestine, Count Bernadotte, the United Nations mediator, arrived in Cairo today from his headquarters on Rhodes Island. He is conferring with the Arab leaders tonight and tomorrow, and will then go to Tel Aviv to hear the Jewish views. He will return to Rhodes on Friday. Count Bernadotte said: “I don’t know whether w e will be able to get the Arabs and Jews round the same conference table at Rhodes, but we have submitted a timetable for peace negotiations to both parties.”

Supervision of Truce

He said that the Truce Commission and interested parties would decide the amount of supplies of food, water and electricity for the 'Jews. in Jerusalem which would be subject to a fixed quota under the observers’ strict control There would be air as well as sea patrols to ensure that no arms or fighting men reached Palestine. Reuter’s diplomatic correspondent says that the British government agreed in principle to Count Bernadette's request for the provision ut ships and aircraft for use of observers to supervise the truce. Britain, however, will not supply any observers and will not be represented at any talks between Jews and Arabs at Rhodes. Evacuation to End in Fortnight

Two thousand British troops in two transports left Haifa for Britain today. A third trooDship will talce away more troops tomorrow. The evacuation, which has been speeded up is expected to clear the last British troops from Palestine within a fortnight. The Arabs in the peace talks would propose the division of Palestine into largely self-governing regions on the Swiss canton model, said reliable Egyptian sources.

The Jews would have domestic autonomy within the territory assigned them but would have no statehood. They would have a canton representative on the central Arab-dominated Assembly which would conduct foreign affairs.

It is lcarn°d officially in Amman that King Abdullah and King Ibn Said would hold an important meeting as the result of King ibn Said’s invitation to King Abdullah to visit him.

The latest reports received in Damascus confirmed that the whole of the Syrian and Palestine front is quiet.