New York Gov. Mario Cuomo assured Israelis this week that Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, if elected U.S. president, would be a solid supporter of the Jewish state and would implement Democratic Party platform promises regarding Israel.
“I nominated him because I believe he will carry out his promises,” Cuomo told reporters Thursday after a meeting here with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The governor is here on an official visit as guest of Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
In a four-day schedule crammed with meetings, Cuomo is focusing on enhancing economic ties between his state and Israel. He promised Peres he would see greater involvement by New York state to stem the Arab boycott against Israel.
In a prepared statement on his arrival Wednesday, Cuomo said the Arab League boycott “is in fact an economic boycott against New York state, the United States and the nations of the world.”
He pointed out that at $800 million worth of trade per year, Israel is New York state’s 13th-largest trading partner.
The boycott is “wounding the world markets of individual companies and the ability of states like New York to expand our foreign trade,” Cuomo said.
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