Flurry Over Departure From France

Chronicle (Levin), 12 June 1946, Page 5

Flurry Over Departure From France

: Press Assn.-

BR1TAIN INVESTIGATING

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received TUfesday 7 p.m. LONDON; June 10: The British Government is investigatihg tlie feircuifistaflcfes Under which the Giand Mufti left Franee, said a Foreign Offiee spokssman. The Freheh'Go'vernment is stated ici have been aware of Britain's wish that the Mufti sliduld not return to the Middle East. The British Legation at Damascus denied that the Mufti landed in a British plane. A spokesman said that Ud British plane of ahy description arrived in Damascus dn Saturday of Sun day; with the exception of a B.O.A.C. plane linking Bagdad and Cairo. The Syrian authorities have ordered tlieir security offieials to scrutinise travellers' documents more closely says ihe Associated Press of Great Britain: Tt is considered likely that the Mufti will appear somewhere near Bludau village, close to Damascus, where 36 delegates to the Arai) League Council are discussing Palestine. The Mufti 's escape from Paris eaused a political flurry in Syria. There is nci confirmation of the report that the .Mufti reached Damascus. Reuter's Paris eorrespondent reports that a British Embassy official called at the French Foreign OlKc-e and ofii cially asked for an explanation about Ihe Mufti 's reported departure from Franee. The French were unable to olfer a definite explanation, and stated that inquiry was in progress. The eurrent theory is that the Mufti left Frence in the guise of a member of one of the Arab mission s travelling between Paris and the Middle Easi. The Mufti was recently ill or feigning illness, and may liave taken the oppor tunity to shav.e off his beard. The Paris newspaper Le Mortde which often reflects Foreign Otlice opinion, reports that the Mufti left Franc;e arnong ihe entourage of King Fcisal of Irak, who travelled from Calais to England in a British destroyer. The Mufti is reported to have left England by plane. Le Monde says that neither the British nor the French reallv wanted to . prevent the Mufti lc.aving France, and adds that the area in which Ihe Mufti lived, in the forest of Marly, was "a veritahle British eamp with ohservation towers and barracks. ' ' Reuter's eorrespondent at Bludau says it is _ reliably reported that the Mufti has heen expected in Damascus toi' some time, and a house has been made readv for him. Tlie Syrian Government offieially has no knowledge of Ihe Mufti 's arrival. The passenger list of Ihe only British aireiaft which landed a.t Damascus on Saturday was scrutinised and showed onlv bona fid'e travellers. Tlie Mufti is icported to have been last seen in Paris on .Tune U M. Bidault was the first to give the British Gov erninent Ihe official inf'onnation of the Mufti 's departure, when he informed Mr. Duff Cooper at a garden partv on Saturda, . The French authorities liave sinee assured the British Government that the Mufti did not leave Franee through any land frontier. A high French official responsihle for the eontrol of aliens, has been sns pended following the Mufti 's depart nre, says the Daily Express' Paris cor respondent.