West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher said here Monday that the European Community is prepared to play an active and significant role in the Middle East peace process.
“My country will act in this direction,” Genscher said at the regular meeting of the foreign ministers of the 12-member states of the European Economic Community West Germany will assume the rotating presidency of the EEC Council of Ministers for the first six months of 1988. It is presently held by Denmark.
While the assembled ministers issued no formal statement, diplomatic sources said they reiterated the European Community’s support for an international conference for Middle East peace.
They enthusiastically welcomed the outcome of the Arab summit conference in Amman, Jordan two weeks ago, particularly its agreement to allow Arab countries to restore diplomatic relations with Egypt, broken when Egypt signed its peace treaty with Israel in 1979.
The ministers expressed hope that this would lead to the reinstatement of Cairo as a member of the Arab League, from which it was suspended after making peace with Israel.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
