French Intermediary in Goldmann-nasser Talks Says It Was First Arranged in 1956

A French journalist reported to have been personally involved in a planned meeting between President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the World Jewish Congress, said today that the Egyptian leader had acted in good faith and was seizing on a remark by Premier Golda Meir that she was willing to risk the unity of her coalition Government if an Arab state sincerely sought a peaceful settlement with Israel. Eric Rouleau, Middle East editor of Le Monde, said President Nasser agreed to a meeting with Dr. Goldmann last Feb. 23, five days after Mrs. Meir’s statement. He said Nasser acted on the personal prompting of President Tito, of Yugoslavia. According to M. Rouleau, conditions laid down by President Nasser for the meeting were intended to avoid embarrassing Israel and Egypt. Those conditions were that Dr. Goldmann’s visit to Egypt be made public; that he should obtain the Israel Government’s authorization for the trip; and that the Jewish leader should inform Pres. Nasser of his own “personal opinions” on how Mideast peace can be obtained.

M. Rouleau claimed that Nasser believed these conditions would protect him from charges that he was acting against the interests of Palestinian refugees and that Mrs. Meir’s coalition unity would not be risked before she had a chance to find out from Goldmann what the actual situation was. As for Nasser, he could have informed the Arab states and the Palestinians that he was not violating the 1967 Kharoum agreement of no peace, no recognition and no negotiations with Israel, the French journalist wrote. A meeting with Dr. Goldmann would not mean direct or indirect negotiations with Israel. M. Rouleau said Nasser wanted the meeting publicized to prevent an organized “leak” after the trip that could have endangered his options.

According to Rouleau a Nasser-Goldmann meeting had been arranged in 1956 and would have taken place if not for the Anglo-French-Israeli attack on Egypt. He said it took many months of explanations afterwards to convince Nasser that Dr. Goldmann was not part of a “conspiracy” against Egypt. M. Rouleau reportedly served as an intermediary between Dr. Goldmann and certain Egyptian representatives in Paris who “suggested” that the Jewish leader go to Cairo. In a taped interview on the French radio today. Dr. Goldmann said there had been no clear understanding that he would meet with Col. Nasser, merely that he would have met the “foremost Egyptian political figures” had he gone to Cairo. French press comment on the Goldmann affair generally blamed the Israel Government for having failed to seize the opportunity offered to renew some sort of dialogue with the Arab side. (Dr. Goldmann said in a taped interview on the Cologne radio yesterday that a public opinion poll in Israel found that 63 percent of the Israelis favored a Goldmann-Nasser meeting.)