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Source: Middle East Journal, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Spring, 1959), pp. 170-192
Published by: Middle East Institute
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170
World Refugee Year sons during most of these years, is slated for
abolishment in 1960, with no provision for
With the cooperationof thirty-one nations,
future care, unless the General Assembly
the United Nations will begin an effort on July
changes its collective mind. Even the tentative
1 of this year, designated as "World Refugee
Year" to attempt the solution of the problem plans of the World Refugee Year would not do
much for a definitive settlement of the prob-
of displaced persons the world over. President
lems of the Palestine Arabs.
Eisenhowerhas alreadycalled together a distin-
guished group of Americancitizens to plan the Less well-known is the situation of the Al-
participationof this country in the undertak- gerian refugees in Tunisia and Morocco. Ac-
ing. The traditional role of the United States cording to latest estimates, there are now more
as a haven for the oppressedand homelesshas than 160,000 of these people, supported for the
not had much significance for a generationor most part by the host countries, themselves ill-
more, but its philanthropicactivities have con- prepared to do more than care for their own.
tinued, if not alwaysin measureto the problem. Those in Tunisia have been the recipients of
It is the unenviableposition of the areawith sporadic and insufficient generosity; those in
which we concern ourselvesto be the locale of Morocco have received little or no attention
a majorportion of the unfortunates.The plight from the rest of the world.
of the Arab refugeesof Palestineis well-known The World Refugee Year, with all the bene-
and has, for almost eleven years now, been a fits that a "Year" brings, can do much to al-
United Nations concern. UNRWA, the UN leviate misery. Only a political solution can, of
agency which has cared for these million per- course, bring an end to these sufferings.
General Jan. 28: It was reported that two Turkish planes had
violated Syria's northeastern border.
1958 Jan. 30: It was reported that Egyptian pilots training
Dec. 16: Radio Baghdad reported that the government Iraqis to fly Soviet jets had returned to Cairo.
had decided to close its border with Iran and shut off Jan. 31: The Cairo newspaper,Al Ahram, charged that
telecommunicationswith that country. Premier al-Qasim of Iraq first accepted and then re-
Dec. 24: It was announcedin Karachi that US Secretary jected an invitation from PresidentNasir for a meeting.
of State John Foster Dulles would attend a meeting of Feb. 12. Premier al-Qasim of Iraq has disclosed that Iraq
the Baghdad Pact MinisterialCouncil in Jan. of 1959. is supplying arms to the Algerian rebels, it was re-
ported.
1959 Feb. 1S: Arab League Secretary-General'Abd al-Khalik
Jan. 1: It was reported that India and Pakistan have Hassuna was quoted as saying that the migration of
failed to find a solution to their dispute over the use Jews to Israel was "the greatest peril faced by the
of the Indus River and its main tributaries. Arabs since the creation of the state of Israel."
Jan. 6: A subcommittee of the Arab League'sEconomic Mar. 5: Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan signed separate de-
Council recommended that oil pipelines should be fense pacts with the US.
owned by an Arab company, and that Trans-Arabian The State Department issued a statement saying that
Pipeline should not receive a renewal of its concession. the US welcomed the signing of the defense pacts.
Jan. 12: The Arab Financial Institution for economic Mar. 6: The UAR lodged a protest with the Turkish-
development came into being when Libya subscribed Syrian Mixed Border Commission against the alleged
to its charter and raised the level of stock subscrip- destruction by the Turks of a Syrian river dam near
tions to more than 75 percent of the projected total, the town of Ein al-Arab.
it was reported. Mar. 10: It was reported that Iraqi planes strafed and
Jan. 16: Eugene Black, President of the IBRD, pledged bombed a village three miles inside the Syrian border.
the full cooperationof his organizationin the form of The name of the village was reported as Hamoudiya.
technical advice and service to the Arab Development Mar. 11: President Nasir of the UAR accused Iraqi
Bank. Premier al-Qasim of trying to split Syria and Egypt.
UN Secretary-GeneralHammarskjold,on his return He alleged that such an objective was contrived with
from the Middle East, said that in Israel, the UAR, and Communist "agents of a foreign power."
other Arab countries, there "is the will to peace." Iraqi demonstratorshanged President Nasir in effigy
Jan. 18: It was reportedthat severalArab states are plan- in Baghdad.
ning to form a united front to demand an increased Mar. 12: President Nasir accused the Iraqi government
share of the proceeds from Middle East oil. of subjecting the Arab peoples to a "Communist reign
Jan. 19: The Jordanian government announced that an of terror."
agreement with the UAR would clear away the "ob- The UAR protested directly to the Iraqi govern-
stacles" blocking Jordanian shipping across the Syrian ment over an alleged Iraqi air raid on a Syrian vil-
province of the UAR. lage.
Jan. 22: The US asked the BaghdadPact members for a Mar. 13: President Nasir said in Damascus that there
greater share of the costs of economic development now "was no room for reconciliation" with Gen. al-
projects jointly undertaken within the framework of Qasim of Iraq. He assertedthat "the banners of Arab
the Pact. nationalism" would one day fly over Baghdad, it was
Jan. 23: The Economic Committee of the Baghdad Pact reported.
decided to create a Multilateral Technical Cooperation Mar. 14: A UAR Army communique stated that three
Fund to further economic development. Iraqi planes staged a rocket attack inside Syrian ter-
The Military Committee of the Baghdad Pact met ritory and strafed two villages with machine guns.
in closed session to discuss mutual defense along the The communique blamed the "rulers of Iraq" for the
Soviet frontier from Pakistan to Turkey. incident.
Jan. 25: The sixth session of the Ministerial Council of
the BaghdadPact opened in Karachi. Aden
Jan. 27: An Arab League official, Abu Bakr Bayar, was 1959
arrested in Cairo and charged with "communicating Jan. 4: Twelve political moderates were elected to the
reports and information to a foreign country in time Legislative Council. The Aden Trades Union Congress
of war." had advocateda boycott of the election.
174