France called today for a resumption in negotiations in the Middle East “so that an equitable settlement can be reached as soon as possible.” Addressing the General Assembly, French Foreign Minister Jean Sauvagnargues said that it is imperative that the momentum of peace continue in view of the “still precarious” situation in the Middle East.
The French Foreign Minister stated that his country is still in favor of a settlement based on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 “which provide for Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories as well as for commitment to peace giving each state the right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries.”
Sauvagnargues called for the recognition of the “legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people” in any Mideast settlement. France, he said, is ready “to contribute to the quest for a settlement based exclusively on the genuine interest of the people of the region and acceptable to the parties concerned, among which my country is far from forgetting Israel.”
West Germany’s Foreign Minister Hans Dietrich Gentscher urged consideration of the “legitimate right of the Palestinian people” in any Mideast solution. He noted that the initial steps toward a solution that was taken with the disengagement accords between Israel and Egypt and Syria must be followed by other steps in order to achieve “equitable and lasting peace assuring the existence of all states and peoples in that region.” (By Yitzhak Rabi)
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
