Western European governments were sharply critical today of Israel’s air raid Sunday that destroyed a French-built nuclear facility in Iraq. The British Foreign Office called it “a grave breach of international law which could have
Italy, which also has technicians in Iraq, expressed grave concern over the raid but said none of its nationals was injured.
The statement by the Foreign Office in London that the Israeli attack appears to have been unprovoked, drew a reply from the Israeli Embassy there which claimed that the Foreign Office “predictably ignores the fact that Iraq claims consistently to be in a state of war with Israel and is the only Arab belligerent in the conflict that has continually refused to sign any cease-fire or armistice agreement with Israel.”
Winston Churchill, a Conservative MP, vigorously applauded the Israeli raid. “Israel was absolutely right and had no alternative but to take out the Iraqi nuclear capability,” he said. Church-hill has been a strong critic of France’s role in helping the Iraqis.
The Soviet Union meanwhile condemned the Israeli air strike on Iraq as a “barbarous act.”
FRENCH SITUATION CALLED AMBIGUOUS
The situation in France is ambiguous. Despite French anger and official condemnations of Israel, political circles in Paris believe that the new administration of President Francois Mitterrand is, if anything, relieved at not having to cope any longer with the “Iraqi connection” entered into by former President Valery Giscard D’Estaing and his Premier, Jacques Chirac. Mitterrand was torn between his commitment to honor all of France’s previous pledges and contracts and his often stated opposition to the sale of arms and nuclear know-how to belligerent states.
Asked last night whether France would replace the destroyed equipment in Iraq, Premier Pierre Mauroy said, “It is a request we would have to study. These problems have already weighed heavily on the (French) government.” It was reported meanwhile that France has begun to evacuate most of its personnel from the Iraqi nuclear site.
ISRAEL ENVOY DEFENDS ACT
Following his interview with Foreign Minister Cheysson, Ambassador Rosenne told French television that “Any country endangered by nuclear bombs like Israel was would have acted in the same way.” He said the attack would not have been necessary if weapon-grade uranium had not been supplied to Iraq.
The Israeli envoy dismissed a report by the International Atomic Energy Commission that the Iraqi plant did not have a weapons producing capability. He noted that the Vienna-based agency had granted observer status to the Palestine Liberation Organization. A member of the Commission’s board told French television later that the Iraqi reactor had been under constant surveillance through sealed cameras which reported every move. “We never observed anything irregular or not in line with the international treaty against the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons which Iraq had been one of the first to sign,” he said.
The French government came under fire from both pro-Israel and pro-Arab groups. The France-Israel Alliance which supports closer relations between the two countries deplored the government’s condemnation of the Israeli attack. The France-Arab Association criticized the government for not reacting sharply enough. The president of the Gaullist RPR Party, Claude Labbe, said the raid was “deplorable” and had “further increased regional tensions.” But most Socialist and Communist leaders declined to comment.
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.
