Israel’s Foreign Minister Abba Eban and Mrs. Eban arrived at Schiphol Airport today. The Ebans were welcomed by the Netherlands Foreign Minister Joseph Luns amid strict security precautions taken by the Dutch secret service and airport police. The Royal Dutch constabulary guarded all Jewish-owned buildings here, including the Israel Embassy, against possible Arab terrorist attacks coinciding with Mr. Eban’s arrival. Holland is the first stop on the itinerary of Mr. Eban’s current visit to four Western European countries. He will visit Belgium, West Germany and Luxembourg. His visit to Bonn will be the first ever by a ranking member of the Israeli Cabinet.
Mr. Eban spoke briefly to reporters at Lydda Airport before taking off this morning. He said the purpose of his tour was to acquaint European leaders with the situation in the Mideast. He observed that Israelis sometimes tend to forget that in addition to the United States Israel has friends in Western Europe. Asked why he omitted France from his itinerary, Mr. Eban said, “It was France that omitted me, not I that have omitted France.” He added that there not many points of accord between Israel and France at this time that would make for a friendly visit there.
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