Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington told Jewish leaders today that in a Middle East settlement, Palestinian recognition of Israel’s right to exist should be balanced by Israeli acceptance of Palestinian political rights. At the same time, he assured them that there had been no change in British policy towards the Palestine Liberation Organization or over Palestinian rights since his address to the UN General Assembly last September.
According to Foreign Office spokesman, he also stressed British support his Israel’s security, re-affirmed backing for the Camp David agreement and hoped that the negotiations on autonomy would be successful.
Lord Carrington gave his assurances during an hour-long meeting with five leaders of the Jewish community who had asked to meet him following signs of a pro-Palestinian shift in British and European Economic Community. (EEC) policy.
The delegation was headed by MP Greville Janner, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. It included Lord Janner, his father, who is the president of the British Zionist Federation, Arye Handler, chairman of the Board of Deputies’ Israel Committee, Eric Moonman, chairman of the Zionist Federation, and Michael Fidler, director of the Conservative Friends of Israel.
Greville Janner later said that be felt “re-assured” that Lord Carrington had stated categorically and publicly that there was no change in British policy. The delegation also achieved its other aim of showing the united opposition of British and European Jewries to the PLO and to a Palestinian state. Later, however, Lord Carrington replied in the negative when asked in the House of Lords whether he regarded the PLO as a terrorist organization. He said he did not think the PLO “as such” was a terrorist organization, although some elements of the PLO had in the past associated with terrorists. He added, “It would be a great mistake to think you can get a settlement without account being taken of the PLO.”
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