West Germany’s Ambassador to Israel, Jesco Von Puttkamer, said today that his country and France had major policy differences with respect to Israel’s position in the Middle East conflict. The envoy from Bonn was, in effect, contradicting French Foreign Minister Maurice Schumann when he observed that on the Middle East policy document drafted by the six member nations of the European Common Market, France and West Germany differed on three major points. Schumann claimed in a statement in the French parliament yesterday that all of the Six were “in agreement” on the document which was “the result of joint efforts.”
Von Puttkamer said however that there was no identity of views on such matters as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories, the form that final borders might take and the kind of negotiations to be held between Israel and Egypt. He said West Germany’s position on the Security Council’s Nov. 22. 1967 Mideast resolution was that any withdrawal of Israeli troops should be from “territories,” not from “the territories.” The latter phrasing implies all of the territories. Von Puttkamer said his Government did not view Israel’s pre-June, 1967 boundaries as meeting the concept of secure frontiers. France insists that Israel must evacuate all Arab territories. The French view prevails in the EEC document. The German envoy made his remarks while paying a courtesy call on Israel Yeshayahu, the newly installed secretary general of the Israel Labor Party.
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