Relations between France and Israel “are so good, it is hard for me to imagine that they could improve,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Abba Eban stated here today after a conference with his French counterpart, Foreign Minister Couve de Murville, and prior to his departure for the United States.
Mr. Eban, making his first tour abroad since he assumed the Israeli Foreign Ministry two weeks ago, stopped in Paris first and conferred with M. Couve de Murville for a half hour. They discussed, the Israeli said afterward, “mutual problems, the relations between our two countries, and certain international questions.”
After expressing his satisfaction over the excellent Franco-Israeli relations in general, Mr. Eban said: “Our conversation illustrated the affinity of thought that exists between our two countries, and our common vision of the world and the Middle East region. It is not mere chance that I am starting my trip in Paris. The choice symbolizes the deep feelings we have for France. An atmosphere of agreement prevailed during my talk.”
Mr. Eban was asked by newsmen whether “the spirit of Tashkent” prevailed during his conference with the French Foreign Minister. The reference was to the pacification agreement made recently at a conference in Tashkent, in the USSR, between India and Pakistan. The Israeli Foreign Minister replied that, to him, the “spirit of Tashkent” symbolizes a world tendency to consolidate the status quo and avoid conflicts. Israel, he said, is anxious to consolidate the Israeli-Arab status quo.
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