The president of France’s largest research institute offered Israel today “close collaboration in exploring and exploiting the world’s riches.” M. Navarre, head of the Petrol and Chemical Research Institute made the offer to Premier Levi Eshkol when the Israeli leader and his group visited the instituted huge laboratory on the outskirts of Paris in suburban Malmaisons.
The Israeli Premier, now in the second week of a 12-day visit to France, was told by M. Navarre: “What I am authorized to offer is complete scientific and industrial cooperation in all fields which interest our two states.” He cited the exploration and exploitation of the riches of the sea, chemical research and industrial applications and oil prospecting and drilling. He added he would be glad to train Israeli scientists and research workers in the institute’s methods.
The visit to the institute was one of the stops on the Premier’s tour of French agricultural, industrial and military installations. He was shown through the institute which employs several thousand scientists and later he conferred with M. Navarre and various institute directors.
Mr. Eshkol had made a similar suggestion last week in talks with President de Gaulle, Premier Georges Pompidou and Foreign Minister Maurice Couve de Murville, He then proposed creation of a Franco-Israeli scientific cooperation institute to explore and exploit the riches in the seas.
The same topic came up again today when Gaston Palewski, French Minister for Science and Nuclear Development, called on Premier Eshkol at the latter’s hotel. Walter Eytan, Israel’s ambassador to France, and Admiral Mordechai Limon, European representative of the Israel Defense Ministry, attended the meeting in the hotel.
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