Egyptian Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy has informed the French government that Egypt wants the Geneva peace conference to resume its sessions “at the earliest available moment.” The Egyptian Minister who is due to arrive in Washington later this week, told President Valery Giscard d’Estaing that any delay in reconvening the Geneva conference “could endanger the precarious cease fire in the Middle East.”
Last night after a two-hour meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean Sauvagnargues. Fahmy said that Egypt wants Geneva to resume “as soon as we conclude our inter-Arab consultations.” He said that Egypt will coordinate its activities and plans for Geneva with Syria and the Palestinians. “Once these tripartite talks will be over, Jordan will join us for a summit conference and then we shall go to Geneva again.”
SADAT, GISCARD D’ESTAING MAY CONFER
Fahmy handed over to the French President a personal message from Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. He later told newsmen that in his letter Sadat called for still closer links between Egypt and France and a wider and deeper cooperation between Western Europe and the Arab world. The Egyptian Minister said that Sadat might pay an official visit to Paris next fall.
Sadat is due to address the Council of Europe in Strasbourg next month and might use this opportunity to come to Paris and confer with Giscard d’Estaing. He has a standing invitation to visit Paris dating back to the days of late President Georges Pompidou. When asked point blank whether Sadat will come to Paris. Fahmy said this cannot be excluded. The Egyptian Minister also said that he was highly satisfied with his meeting with Giscard d’Estaing.
Egyptian circles in Paris said that the Egyptian delegation feels that “fundamentally” France’s policy has not changed with the advent to power of the new administration. The Egyptians, according to these sources feel that though France will try to observe a more balanced attitude in its relations with Israel, it will nonetheless try as it has done in the past to forge closer economic, technical and even political ties with Egypt and the rest of the Arab world.
The Egyptians are reportedly, however, a little unhappy over France’s persistent refusal to adopt strong political positions on the Arab-Israeli conflict. According to these sources, the French, from Giscard d’Estaing down, tried to concentrate their discussions with the Egyptians on economic matters while avoiding political undertakings.
FINANCIAL AID TO EGYPT
Sauvagnargues last night announced that France will make a financial contribution to Egypt’s efforts to rebuild its economy. The French Minister refused to reveal the amount of the loan and said it should be taken as “a symbolic gesture.”
Sauvagnargues also announced that he will pay official visit to Cairo next Oct. The French Minister is also due to visit Israel that month. French circles stressed that Sauvagnargues will not serve as a courier or even as a mediator during these two trips which will be only a few days apart.
This lack of French diplomatic initiative is in marked contrast with the aggressive French diplomacy in the days of Pompidou and Michel Jobert. French sources say that Giscard d’Estaing is determined to pursue this course of action in spite of repeated proddings from Egypt and other Arab countries.
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.
