Eec Document Calls on Israel to End Its Settlement Policy

The European Economic Community (EEC) has drafted a joint document calling on Israel to abandon its West Bank settlement policy and to recognize “the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, with all that this implies.” The heads of the 10 member-states now meeting in Athens for their annual summit conference are due to approve the document tomorrow and issue it then.

The draft document prepared by the 10 EEC Foreign Ministers expresses Europe’s “deep preoccupation” with the Middle East situation and says that the hopes raised by the Fez declaration of 1982 and President Reagan’s peace plan have come to nothing. The document says a new initiative is needed and implies the 10 might at one of their future conferences issue a new joint policy statement.

The document says the 10 are “particularly concerned with the tragic situation in Lebanon” and calls on all concerned to respect the September 25 cease-fire.

Meanwhile, radio reports from Athens say Italian Premier Bettino Craxi indicated after a meeting with French President Francois Mitterrand that Italy might have to withdraw its contingent from the multinational force based in Beirut. There are 2,000 Italians in the 5,500 member four-nation force.

The Italian Premier told Italian reporters, “Our situation is different from that of the other participants as we (Italy) have no viable military deterrent.” Several political parties, including Christian Democrat members of the Italian coalition government, have expressed serious misgivings about the recent escalation of fighting in Lebanon which is, they said, endangering the safety of the Italian troops.