Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said Monday that Greece is seriously considering establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel, according to media reports from Brussels, where he is attending a meeting of the European Economic Community (EEC) Foreign Ministers. Israel is presently represented here only on the consular level.
The report quoted Papoulias as saying that such a move was under study and that action might be taken during the latter half of 1988, when Greece assumes the rotating chairmanship of the EEC Council of Ministers.
Papoulias also reportedly described as a bold political step the EEC’s decision Monday to support an international conference for peace in the Middle East, under United Nations auspices.
He said it was a significant move by the European community to seek an end to the Middle East conflict in view of the failure of the United States to find a solution. He said the EEC Council of Ministers also decided to offer financial assistance to the Arab population in the Israel-occupied territories.
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