Abba Eban, Israel’s Foreign Minister, said here at a press conference tonight, after talks with Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Foreign Secretary George Brown, that he had received the “impression” that Britain wants “a new peace structure and not the old structure” which existed in the Middle East before the June war.
Observing that no plans had been made for a formal communique on the talks, Mr. Eban said that he was not authorized to reveal details but that “the talks were useful, particularly the examination of the positions. We are not so far apart on policies on the Middle East as some published comment, particularly in Israel, seemed to imply.” British efforts to obtain renewal of relations with Egypt were criticized in Israel as being allegedly based on commitments to Egypt to pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied Arab territories.
Mr. Eban said that “we do not want to negotiate” with the Arab countries “on the basis of victor and vanquished, but as neighbors.” He also said he hoped the “mutual shock” of the June war would impel talks for Middle East peace. He added that the main goal of Israeli foreign policy was to bar any return “to the vulnerable position of the pre-June period.”
Mr. Eban, who also met with opposition Conservative leader Edward Heath, reported last night on recent Middle East developments to the Board of Deputies of British Jews and representatives of 23 associated Jewish organizations.
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