Eban Looks for Soviet Reappraisal of Its Middle East Policies

Foreign Minister Abba S. Eban of Israel expressed hope today that the Soviet Union would reevaluate its position in the Middle East following what he termed the United Nations General Assembly’s “positive rejection of a charge of aggression against a member state, Israel.” He told a press conference here today that “I hope the Soviet Union will now reappraise its attitude and look at things from the center rather than from one wing. There were faint signs of such reappraisal. There was an impression that the Soviet delegates had been pleading with the Arabs for a modification of their position. But perhaps it was only a tactical move. It will be necessary to wait and see how things develop.”

The Israeli foreign minister told newsmen in response to questions that “Israel is not writing off its relations with France” and hopes to restore the old Franco-Israeli relationship. He said the General Assembly session had shown that world opinion clearly wanted a radical remedy in the Middle East, not a restoration of the pre-June situation that led to war. He said it was becoming clear that world opinion was “getting fed up with Arab belligerence.”