The Franco-Israeli Mixed Commission, a senior body entrusted with working out joint projects and ironing out difficulties between the two countries, will meet here this week after an 11-year lapse. The commission, set up in the heydays of Franco-Israeli friendship of the early 1960’s, will hold a two-day session April 29-30.
The sessions, at the level of Foreign Ministry Director Generals, will be devoted to subjects such as industrial and technical cooperation; the implications of the European Economic Community’s enlargement due to the entry of Spain, Greece and Portugal; joint international cooperation, especially in Africa; and the creation of a joint fund for investment purposes.
The 12-member Israeli delegation will be headed by the Foreign Ministry’s Director General David Kimche and Prof. Ezra Sedan of the Finance Ministry. It is not known yet who will head the French detegation.
President Francois Mitterand promised during his recent state visit to Israel to reconvene the Mixed Commission as tangible proof of Paris’ intention to work out concrete programs for Franco-Israeli cooperation. French officials say Mitterand personally asked the Quai d’Orsay to accelerate preparations for the commission’s sessions so as to enable it to start operating without delay.
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