Dr. Clovis Maksoud. the Arab League’s envoy who arrived in the U.S. last week to present the Arab view-point to the American public, said in a press conference here today that Syria will not exchange POWs with Israel until Israel adheres to all the provisions of the Geneva Conventions.
He contended that Israel asks only observance of the POW issue and ignores other provisions of the Geneva Conventions. He did not elaborate. Maksoud, a 46-year-old Christian Lebanese, who is here for a three-month propaganda campaign, said that the Arab oil embargo will be lifted “when the cause of the embargo is removed to the satisfaction” of the Arabs. Talking to reporters after the press conference, Maksoud said that if Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger will provide President Anwar Sadat with guarantees on Israeli withdrawal, there is a chance for easing off the oil cut.
The Arab envoy called “marginal” the ideas expressed here recently of using U.S. military force against the oil producing countries. He pointed out, however, that “any show of force in the third world countries” has proved to be “counter productive.” Regarding his mission here, he said that it is “to stop Washington from under-writing the objections of Israel.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
