Alfonsin to Ask Spain to Open Diplomatic Relations with Israel

President Raul Alfonsin told Edgar Bronfman, president of the World Jewish Congress, that he would intervene with Spanish authorities to encourage their opening diplomatic relations with Israel.

Bronfman, on a tour of Latin American Jewish communities, met with Alfonsin at the Presidential Palace here prior to a meeting with the DAIA, the representative body of Argentine Jewry, and a meeting with the Foreign Relations Committee of the Argentine Senate. Accompanying Bronfman at the meeting with the President were Israel Singer, WJC executive director, Gregorio Faigon, chairman of the Latin American Branch of the WJC, and DAIA president, Sion Cohen Imach.

During the talks, Alfonsin made clear his opposition to the equation of Zionism with racism at international forums. He assured the Jewish leaders that at future international meetings, Argentina would not vote on this issue as it had in the past but rather “according to its conscience.”

He promised to lend his good offices in approaches to the Soviet government to ease the plight of Soviet Jewry. He praised the WJC role in seeking to ease tensions between East and West and urged that it continue in this direction, viewing it as a prescription to help Soviet Jews and reduce international tension.

Alfonsin told Bronfman that Argentina’s historical relationship with Spain placed it in a good position to encourage what Spain has already pledged to do: open diplomatic relations with Israel.

The WJC leader told Alfonsin that Jews everywhere were pleased at his election and the return of Argentina on the road to democracy. Bronfman noted that he had previously refused to meet Argentine leaders but now that constitutional democracy had been restored he was honored to be meeting here. Bronfman especially noted with appreciation the introduction by Alfonsin of legislation aimed at banning racial and religious discrimination which made specific reference to bias against Jews.