News from Argentina

On April 15 last the Syrian colony in particular, and the rest of the Arab colonies in general, celebrated the presentation of the legation palace to His Excellency the Minister, Dr. Zaki al-Jabi. It was a historic night in which all the bodies of the Arab associations took part, together with throngs of Syrian families from the capital and from the interior of the country.

The legation palace, situated in the most beautiful quarter of Buenos Aires, was decked with Syrian and Argentine flags. Mr. Khairallah Abboud, president of the committee for the purchase of the legation palace, delivered a fine speech that was met with approval and applause, and presented the golden key to His Excellency the Minister.

On the 17th of this month His Excellency celebrated Evacuation Day and received well-wishers at the legation palace, which was packed with delegations. At eleven o'clock he proceeded, with a delegation of the ladies and gentlemen of the colony, to the presidential palace to invest the wife of His Excellency the President, Mrs. Eva Perón, with the Order of the Umayyads — the first decoration granted by the Syrian government to a woman. She received them together with His Excellency the President and several ministers and pillars of the government. His Excellency then stepped forward and delivered a speech in the Spanish language in which he set forth the reasons that had led his government to grant the decoration to Mrs. Perón; and when he finished his speech he pinned the decoration on her breast amid the applause of those present and their cheers for her and for His Excellency the President. Her Excellency replied with a splendid address in which she thanked the Syrian government that had singled her out for this mark of esteem, wishing it and the Syrian people success and good fortune.