Israel opposition Labor Party leader Shimon Peres said today after meeting with President Francois Mitterrand that he did not believe France was a center of rampant anti-Semitism.
“I myself believe that there may be anti-Semites in France but France herself is not anti-Semitic, neither by culture, neither by philosophy, nor by tradition,” Peres said after a 90-minute meeting with the President.
Peres arrived here yesterday at the invitation of Mitterrand in an effort to relieve the strains developing between Paris and Jerusalem in the wake of several terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish-owned installations, culminating in the terrorist attack on Goldenberg’s restaurant in the heart of Paris’ traditional Jewish quarter last week.
Israel has blamed France for having “create an anti-Semitic climate” because of its support for the PLO in the Lebanon fighting. Premier Menachem Begin issued a sharply worded attack on the French government last week.
SAYS STRAINS HAVE BEEN EASED
Peres said he was confident that the strain in relations between Israel and France has been eased by his visit “because what was necessary was a clarification and not just on exchange.” He added: “I think when polemics are overtaking politics we are all in trouble.”
Peres said that Mitterrand provided a detailed account of the government’s efforts to combat the surge of terrorism in France. Mitterrand is scheduled to make a television address tonight to announce new anti-terrorism measures and clarify French policy in the Middle East.
Peres, who is an old friend of Mitterrand from the Socialist International, said France and Israel have similar views in the Middle East except for the issue of a Palestinian state and the role of the PLO in the region.
During their meeting, which was described as “extremely friendly,” Mitterrand reaffirmed France’s willingness to contribute to a peaceful evacuation of the PLO forces from Beirut but emphasized that all foreign armies — the Israelis, Syrians and the PLO — must withdraw from Lebanon.
As for the long-range political solution of the Palestinian problem, Mitterrand called for the “participation” of the PLO in the negotiating process as “one element, among others.”
There was no insistence on his part for recognizing the PLO as the “sole representative” of the Palestinian people, nor did he repeat the traditional French call for a Palestinian state.
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