Israel Foreign Minister Golda Meir said today that her country’s efforts to desalinate water cannot be considered a substitute for the Jordan River irrigation project.
Her statement was made in an exclusive interview published by Le Soir, Belgium’s largest daily, Mrs. Meir explained that the real problem of desalination is to bring the price per gallon to an economically feasible basis. She added that this might take some time and cannot, therefore, be considered as a replacement for the projected diversion of the Jordan waters.
Regarding the possible reaction of the Arab States to the Israel water plan, the Foreign Minister felt that sabotage actions were more probable than a real armed conflict. She expressed skepticism concerning Arab threats to change the course of the Jordan River.
Commenting on the balance of arms in the Middle East, Mrs. Meir said that although Israel dislikes spending on arms, money needed for economic development, there is no choice as the situation must be faced clearly. She pointed cut that since 1956 Egypt has been receiving arms from the Soviet Union and that Nasser could increase his armaments production with the help of the German scientists in his employ.
Mrs. Meir concluded that Israel does not foresee an immediate war with the Arabs and added, “such a danger will not exist as long as we remain strong enough to discourage anybody from attacking us.” She also stressed that the longer Israel is able to avoid armed conflict the greater the chance for a genuine peace, which she added “we are always ready to negotiate.”
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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.
