Shasar King of Nepal Discuss Mutual Affairs; India Irks Israel

Israel and Nepal have a happy relationship which “most nations would envy, ” President Shazar of Israel said yesterday at a banquet to the King and Queen of Nepal, The President and Mrs. Shazar are on a state visit to Nepal. The Ambassador of India, which has recognized Israel but never exchanged ambassadors, was not present at the banquet. Previously, the Israeli President had called on the King and Queen at the royal palace, and discussed matters of mutual interest; A report on the banquet was broadcast on the India radio network.

Official Nepal sources expressed surprise today at a report that the Pakistani Ambassador in Cairo had conveyed to Nepal the “indignation” of Pakistan and Communist China for sending army personnel to Israel for paratroop training. Nepali Foreign Office sources said they had no knowledge of any protest of “indignation” having been conveyed to them by the two countries, with which Nepal “also maintains friendly relations.”

(In Jerusalem, today, Israeli officials said that return plans for President Shazar’s flight from Nepal have been changed, so that the President and his entourage will not have to spend a full day in India, where he encountered an attitude en route to Nepal considered by Israel as most unfriendly. The President will spend only one hour on Indian soil on his return trip, under the new plans. During that hour, he will not leave his plane. Israeli officials were angered by the fact that the India Foreign Ministry failed to send a representative to the airport, as is the customary practice for a visiting head of state, when the Presidential plane landed in New Delhi. Instead of being invited to make himself comfortable in the airport’s lounge for VIP’s, President Shazar had been totally ignored by the Indian officials when he was on the way to Katmandu.)