10 Eec Leaders Denounce Israeli Measures on the West Bank, Gaza

The leaders of the 10 nations comprising the European Economic Community (EEC) today “denounced” recent Israeli measures on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip but refrained from calling for any sanctions against Israel and from an initiative in the Middle East.

The EEC leaders, including President Francois Mitterrand of France, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt of West Germany, issued a joint statement after their two-day summit meeting and specifically attacked Israel’s dismissal of the mayors of El Bireh, Ramallah and Nablus.

The joint statement expressed “deep concern at the grave events” and launched an appeal “for an end to the cycle of violence and repression. The 10 EEC leaders “particularly denounced the repression imposed on the Palestinian population” and mentioned in that connection the dismissal of “the democratically elected mayors.”

MITTERRAND CALLS FOR TOUGH TEXT

French sources told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Mitterrand asked his European partners to “toughen up” the wording of the text but also appealed to them to refrain from any diplomatic initiative.

During today’s session, Mitterrand briefed the other Presidents and Prime Ministers on his recent trip to Israel, reportedly saying that Europe should abstain from trying to impose a solution or favor one of the sides involved in the conflict.

Arab states yesterday appealed to Western European leaders to “pave the way to peace” by launching a new diplomatic initiative to follow thei June 1980 Venice declaration. The Arab League issued today, after a ministerial meeting in Tunis, a warning saying “the troubles (on the West Bank) could spread to other areas” and endanger world peace. Arab sources in Tunis said they were “deeply disappointed” with the European declaration which they termed “grossly pro-Israeli.”