Report High-level Greek Contacts with Israeli, Jewish Personalities

Contacts between Greek and Israeli Socialists were established for the first time early last month and a private meeting between Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and World Jewish Congress president Edgar Bronfman took place in the Greek Premier’s private home last July, the WJC reported today.

The meeting between Greek and Israeli Socialists was held at the Greek Foreign Ministry in Athens and was disclosed by “EEC Monitor, ” a digest of European and European Economic Community affairs significant to the Jewish community which is published jointly by the Britain/Israel Public Affairs Committee and the WJC.

The meeting, which lasted one-and-a-half hours, brought together three officials of the international department of the ruling Pan Hellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) and Dr. Avram Rozinker, international secretary of Mapam. According to the “Monitor,” the EEC has applied pressure on the Greek government to raise the level of diplomatic relations with Israel.

Rozinker, who had taken the initiative for the meeting, explained his party’s views on the issues arising from the Middle East dispute. The two sides agreed to continue these exchanges.

Bronfman’s meeting with Papandreou was held at the Greek leader’s summer home in Corfu. The two were joined by the president of the Greek Jewish community, Joseph Lovinger, and WJC executive director Israel Singer.

Bronfman met with the Greek Premier during a stopover on his way to Israel to confer with the then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin. WJC sources reported that Papandreou had indicated in his conversations with Bronfman a more open-minded attitude on relations with Israel than he had in the past.