Despite protests by Israel, the foreign ministers of the 10 European Economic Community (EEC) member-states are expected to release a joint resolution on the Middle East in Brussels next weekend which, according to diplomatic sources here, will deal with the situation in Lebanon and in the Israel-occupied territories.
According to the sources, there will be no departure from the June, 1980 Venice declaration of the EEC leaders which called for self-determination for the Palestinian people and “association” of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the Middle East peace process.
Israel rejected the declaration at the time. Israeli envoys in Western European capitals recently have tried to convince the EEC governments to issue no further statements on the Middle East. Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, on his visits to West Germany, Holland and Belgium last month, warned his hosts that a new EEC declaration would not be useful and could only encourage extremist elements in the region.
But according to diplomats here, the EEC ministers have reached an “understanding” on the new joint declaration. Before publication, it will be reviewed by the 10 EEC heads of state who are scheduled to meet in Brussels for a routine European summit.
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