France and Israel have agreed to undertake several joint projects calling for cooperation in technical and industrial fields, increased trade between the two countries and the promotion of tourism. The Protocols of Understanding were signed last Friday at the end of a two-day meeting of the Franco-Israeli Mixed Commission which convened here for the first time in 12 years.
The Commission’s activities lapsed in 1970 at a time of political tensions between the two countries. President Francois Mitterrand promised, during his state visit to Israel last March, that the joint meetings would be revived. Israeli diplomats and senior officials attending the sessions said that Mitterrand had not only honored his pledge but apparently instructed the French delegation to be as cooperative as possible.
They said that apart from the tangible results, the most important achievement was the fact of the meeting itself at which the Franco-Israeli dialogue was renewed on a practical basis.
ASPECTS OF COOPERATION
The Israeli delegation was headed by David Kimche, Director General of the Foreign Ministry Francois Guttman, Secretary General of the French Foreign Ministry, headed his country’s delegation. The two senior officials held private talks Thursday and Friday while their aides split into four subcommittees, each dealing with a different aspect of Franco-Israeli cooperation. Arms deals and nuclear issues were not discussed.
Understandings were reached on joint projects in third countries, the creation of special investment funds, technical and agricultural research, and balance of payments problems. The French delegation promised to undertake a serious study of the possible consequences for Israel of the entry of Greece, Spain and Portugal into the European Economic Community (EEC).
Israel is concerned that the special market privileges those countries now enjoy will have adverse effects on its own exports to the 10 EEC member-states. Plans for tourist promotion include Christian pilgrimages to Nazareth and pilgrimages by Israeli Christians to the Catholic shrine at Lourdes.
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