Chancellor Erhard’s Emissary Reports on His Talks in Israel

Dr. Kurt Birrenbach, Chancellor Ludwig Erhard’s personal emissary, returned today from Israel after completing a second round of talks with Israeli Government leaders on West German-Israeli diplomatic relations and met with the Chancellor to report on his mission.

Dr. Birrenbach confirmed on his arrival that he would soon return to Israel for a third time and said that the establishment of embassies would then proceed swiftly. He reported to both Chancellor Erhard and Foreign Minister Gerhard Schroeder.

Chancellor Erhard said today that diplomatic relations between West Germany and Israel would be established by the federal government “neither with exaggerated haste nor with any unnecessary delay.”

He made the statement at a meeting of his Christian Democratic faction in the Bundestag, West Germany’s lower house of Parliament. He declined comment on reported West German talks with Arab countries “until the end of the talks.” He also said that the opposition Social Democratic party had no right to criticize the government because they had approved his plan to offer diplomatic relations to Israel. He claimed that the party’s declaration that not enough had been done for Israel was unjustified.

The Chancellor and Foreign Minister Gerhard Schroeder reported at the meeting on foreign affairs. Concerning West German policy in the Middle East, the Chancellor emphasized that “the strongest cooperation” existed between him and the Foreign Minister. This was an answer to press reports attacking Dr. Schroeder and reporting differences between him and the Chancellor.