M-T The Canadian Jewish News, Friday, December 16; 1977 - Page 3 World News iiiiiunmmiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiitmmiimnimtiiniuiiitiiifliiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin^ tc co-operation IS n .1 s s S s By NECHEMU MEYERS REHOVOT — Among the documents that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat took back with him to Cairo after-his extraordinary visit to Israel was a list of 36 international scientific conferences due to take place here this year. Appended to that list was a request that he facilitate the participation of Egyptian scientists in each of these conferences. A much more far-reaching proposal for scientific co-operation was made immediately after Sadat's departure by Technion professor. Josef Rom, an aeronautical engineer now serving as a Likud member of the Knesset. Rom said that the current Israeli-Egyptian political dialogue should be accompanied by concrete measures to foster joint programs in as many spheres as possible, among them science and technology. "Forexample," Prof. Rom declared, "we must begin to plan and if possible to carry out bi-national projects such as the construction of atomic power stations and desalination plants in I Sinai." In point of fact, such a scheme was proposed i many years ago by Dwight D. Eisenhower, and : i endorsed by other American leaders, all of whom \ \ thought it could help bring peace, co-operative i I development projects were simply not feasible. \ But before this scheme was finally shelved, \ \ American, Israeli and Egyptian scientists had I \ come together at the Oak Ridge National Labora-; tory, then headed by Alvin Weinberg, to work out ; details of how it could be carried out. They envisioned the installation of two reactors with a combined output of 1.000 megawatts in the El Arish area, south of the Gaza Strip. The power generated was to be used by newly-established industries producing chemicals, fertilizers, plastics, aluminium, etc., as well as for the operatiot of a plant to desalinate 1,000 million gallons pei day of seawater — enough to irrigate some 300,000 acres of land in the deiserts of Sinai and the neighboring Negev. It was assumed that this American-financed program would bring great material benefits to both Israel and Egypt and also provide employment opportunities for A^ab refugees in the Gaza Strip. In the interval most of these refugees have obtained jobs in Israel and many other things have changed. But Gerald Stanhill, an Israeli scientist who helped work out some of the agricultural aspects of the scheme, hopes that it will be revived in one form or another. At the same time, Stanhill warns against the dangers of prematurely promoting "intensive, California-style agriculture" in a country like Egypt because this would involve an enormous investment in money and trained manpower as well as flooding Egypt's already overcrowded cities with fellaheen who would lose their jobs in the countryside and fail to find new ones in tht cities. But quite independent of the Sadat visit, Stanhill and his colleagues at the Volcani Center of Agricultural Research have been considering how low-technology irrigation techniques similar to those used on Israeli moshavim (smallholders' settlements) could be introduced into the Egyptian countryside in a way that would substantially improve living standards without destroying the existing fabric of society. And these techniques — together with those from dozens of other countries — are being brought to the attention of the world's farmers and researchers through the efforts of the International Irrigation Information Center (IDC) located at Volcani. It was set up in June. 1975, by the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC) in co-operation with the state of Israel to collect, analyze and disseminate information on irrigation, especially for developing countries. While some relevant data may have escaped the niC's attention. General Manager Janina Bard points out that it has already dealt with material from 78 countries, written in 28 different languages. All of it has been abstracted and distributed in English. Even so, communication of information via the mails has its limitations: personal contact is bound to be more effective. This can be seen in the Gaza Strip, controlled by Israel since 1967. There, Egyptian-trained agricultural instructors were taught Israeli techniques in irrigation and other spheres, and then brought them to local farmers. As a result, average annual production in agriculture'has grown by 25.4% (as compared to 6-7% in Israel), while income per farmer has risen from $130 to $732. ■ There enormous enthusiasm among Israeli researchers — be they working in agriculture, medicine, electronics or geophysics—to establish close contacts with their counterparts in Egypt, by far the largest and most developed scientific centre in the Arab world. Weizmann Institute President Michael Sela was undoubtedly speaking for many others when he said recently that the'institute soon hoped to have visiting sdentists not only from Berkeley, London. Paris, and Tokyo, but also fix)m Cairo and Alexandria. "Moreover.•' Prof. Sela added, "if our researchers can spend their sabbaticals on the banks of the Thames or the Seine, there is no reason why they shouldn't be spending them on the banks of the NUe." toys FRANKFURT [JCNS]-TTie increasing sale of military toys bearing Nazi symbols has; been criticized by Heidemarie Wie<3^orek-Zeul. a prominent SocialDemocrat politician in Hesse. The fact that the sale of such toys was flourishing was bad.enough in itself, but it became unbearable when these toys were showing the NmI swastika^ she declared, pointing out that existing laws ' {brt)id the public display of Nazi symbols as well as trade with such symbols. ' She appealed to all department stores and toy shops to stop the sale of such items. At Altenkirchen, near Bonn, a peddler who described himself as "spiritual father and initiator of flea markets'' in West Germany, was recently found guilty of selling Nazi paraphernalia, including SS swords, belts and other objects bearing^^azi swastikas and slogans. \ President Sadat receives certificates of 180 trees planted In his honor In a Jewish National Fond forest in Israel. Making presentation In Jerusalem Is Yekatlel X. Federmann of the King David Hotel. 180 JNF trees planted for Sadat I JERUSALEM — 1 The historic peace visit § of President Anwar Sadat 5 has been commemorated 5 in a symbolic manner through the acceptance by the Egyptian leader of a special Jewish National Fund certificate marking the planting of 180 trees in JNF's Peace Forest, overlooking the slopes of Jerusalem. The gesture, with its implicit connotation was made by Yekutiel X. Federmann, owner of the King David Hotel in which the Egyptian president was staving. 300 Jews in Baghdad Iraqi helieved murdered LONDON [JCNS] — It is now known that Salim Cohen, a Jewish businessman living in the Iraqi port of Basra, was murdered some months ago, according to an expert on Iraqi affairs. It appears tht his decaying body was found by police in his flat after neighbors had complained. Cohen had expected to join his wife and daughter, who emigrated from Iraq a few years earlier. There is no evidence that security agents, who are suspected of being responsible' for the. abduction and assassination of 25 Baghdad Jews in 1972-73, murdered Cohen, but apparently the authorities did not conduct their inquiries very thoroughly. Between 300 and 350 Jews remain in Iraq, mostly in Baghdad, with the rest living in Basra, Hit and Hilla. About 120.000 left the country for Israel in 1950-51 and their property was sequestered. The custodian of Jewish property, holds land and other assets worth about $300 million, of which between S40-50 million is in cash. The government has taken over the community's schools, hospital and clinics, but there is still a Jewish lay council in Baghdad administering the community's religious and charitable trusts. The remaining Jews cannot sell property and they can only draw a maximum of $600 a month from a bank account. They are now allowed to travel abroad but if they do not return within three months they are deprived of their nationality and possessions. Many of the remaining Jews are poor and they are helped by the community. Iraq is ruled by the Baathists. who came to power after the revolution of July. 1968. Millions of dollars of Iraq's oil revenues are contributed to terrorist Palestinian organizations and Rejection Front Arab and African countries, such as South Yemen and Somalia. Palestinian and international terrorists, including Germans and Japanese, have been trained in secret Iraqi camps. Israeli bank files request for branch We can't grow you money. But we can make your money grow. Mortgage Investments in Canada and United States. Inquiries invited. President: Gerald J. Silverman CCapital Structures International, of Canada Limited 89 Chestnut Street, Suite 200 Toronto (416) 364-0174 MIAMI — One of Israel's big three banks has filed an application to become the first foreign bank to open an operation in Rorida under the state's new international banking law. The announcement camie firorri Ed Mahoney, deputy comptroller, who said the application of Israel Discount Bank, Ltd.. will be processed as quickly as possible. The bank, with assets of about $4.6 billion, was the first foreign bank to open an operation in Noav York after that state approved similar international banking legislation in 1961. The decision by Israel Discount Bank comes only a few weeks after state officials went to New York to persuade banks all across the world to open offices in Florida. "We had a great recep-, tion," said Mahoney. "While Israel Discount is the first bank to file an application, we are expecting quite a few more. We've had inquiries from about 20 of the biggest in the world." Under the new law, a foreign bank can open a representative office, in which it looks for business and refers it to the head office elsewhere in the U.S. Or it can open an agency office that actually makes loans to overseas customers. - In Israel Discount's case, it decided to take the latter route which will mean a larger operation in Florida. It was not immediate I y d e t e r m i n e d, however, how large a facility it might open. Under the law, Israel Discount's application can : be processed prior to Jan. 1. But it can't officially open for business until after the start of; the new year. 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It's your chance to escape the hohday season pressure and relax amid quiet surroundings in the heart of your community- There's plenty to see and do; but at your own pace. *in-Ji6use movies * year-round pool * special family day festivities (January 2nd, only) * minutes from Fairview Mall *jio charge for children under 14 yrs. of age occupying same room So come, relax and enjoy. For reservations call^ollect 1-416-444-2511 Rates-valid Dec. 15/77 - Jan. 8/78 TheI¥iix»Hbt^ 900 York Mills Rd. at Don Mills Rd. Don Mills, Ontario A Mobil Travel Guide 4 Star Award Hotel Investors want to establish private commeixjial TV in Israel TEL AVIV [JCNS]— A group of investors, including the Thames TV Corporation of Britain, have asked the Israeli communications minister, Meir Amit, to grant them a concession to set up private commercial television in -Israel in black-and-white to operate alongside the government TV. The investment needed is said to be in excess of $13-26 million, and the capital will be raised by the sale of shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The newspaper Ha'aretz reported that the group of investors would included the Clal investment corporation, one of the largest private financial bodies in Israel; Thames International, whose productions are popular in Israel; Murray Goldman of Toronto, owner of a brewery in Israel; and a South African investor, the Castel Film Company. The investors plan to invite the Israeli daily commercial newspapers to join the project. The plan provides for the establishment of a public company which will float shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange to mobilize the necessary capital. Preference will be given to small investors in shares in order to prevent the take-over of the company by large financial interests. If the new company is allowed to use the country's present TV broadcasting facilities, the investment may amount to $1.3 million. If. however, the company has to build its own broadcasting station and studios, it will need $26 million to carry out the project. The proposal made bv the investors provides for the government to purchase the TV broadcasting station by financing the project from a loan it will receive from the investors. The loan will be repaid through the fees collected from the concession. The investors propose that the Knesset pass a law authorizing the establishment of a commercial television authority which will be the actu^ owner of the broadcasting station. The authority will sell broadcasting time in return for payments from the advertisers. The authority will supervise the standard of the commercial broad- casts. The concession granted to the private company will be for a - period of 10 years after which the entire commercial TV organization and assets will go to the state. The company will undertake to cover the author--ity's entire operational budget as long as the concession lasts. The investors propose that there would be four-six minutes of advertising for every hour of broadcasting. The daily newspapers included in the project will receive part of the company's shares in compensation for the expected drop in income from advertising in the press. The arrangement will be similar to that existing between the government and Israel radio commercial broadcasts. The Thames Corporation willsupply the Israeli company-with professional assistance and TV films. Talks have been already held with Finance Minister Simcha Erlich. It is known that the Likud Bloc electoral platform provided for the establishment of commercial TV in Israel. However, Education Minister Zevulun Hammer announced his opposition to the setting up of a commercial channel. Sol Raibmon Harry Goldstone Murray Handelman Sergiu Weber LOOKING FOR A YEAR END CAR PURCHASE FOR TAX DEPRECIATION?? WE HAVE THEM!! ALL MODELS INa SB's & SB's FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY WE WANT YOUR BUSINESS! 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