French Foreign Minister Jean Francois-Poncet is due to meet late to night with the Palestine Liberation Organization’s head of foreign relations, Farouk Kaddoumi, amidst increasing reports that PLO chief Yasir Arafat might pay an official visit to France sometime in outumn. French officials say they “know nothing” about such a visit but Palestinian sources claim “the principle has been agreed upon and now we must only work out the details.”
The Palestinian sources say Kaddoumi, who last met with Francois-Poncet in February, will discuss the details concerning such a visit with the French Foreign Minister. The sources say Kaddoumi will also brief Francois-Poncet on Arafat’s meeting earlier this month in Vienna with Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky and Socialist International president Willy Brandt.
According to the French daily, “L’Aurore,” the PLO leader wants “to obtain the backing of the nine European Economic Community member-states, the only power block with which he can make some progress and which could in turn influence America.” The paper said French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing favors such a visit as it would help improve France’s oil supplies from the Arab states and enable him to play an important international role.
Kaddoumi, who arrived from Beirut this afternoon, will also raise the question of Israeli raids in south Lebanon when he meets the French Foreign Minister. A French Foreign Ministry spokesman said this afternoon that the French Embassy in Israel has been instructed to “make representations to the Israeli government” on this issue. The spokesman said France “is deeply concerned over the fresh outbreaks of artillery and air bombardments in south Lebanon.” The spokesman said “France has always condemned acts of violence from wherever they may come.”
The spokesman refused to comment on reports on an Arafat visit. In 1974 in Beirut Arafat met with the then French Foreign Minister Jean Sauvagnargues. The meeting and the accompanying handshake shocked Israel and part of world public opinion, especially in the United States.
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