West German Foreign Minister Gerhard Schroeder declared in a speech in the Bundestag today West Germany expected that the goodwill it had shown in the successful negotiations with Israel for an economic aid agreement would be recognized by Israel because “such goodwill must be bilateral.”
Political observers here said that Dr. Schroeder was referring indirectly to the Israeli note to Poland last week, reaffirming Israel’s support of the Oder-Neisse line between Germany and Poland as the permanent demarcation line between the two countries.
It was reported that there was considerable anger in the Government about the note and its timing, which coincided with the completion of the economic aid agreement. However, no official announcement has been made here because West German-Israeli relations are considered as still very delicate. Fears also were expressed that right wing radical groups would make capital of Israel’s stand on the Oder-Neisse boundaries, which Germany has never officially accepted.
(In Israel, Dr. Rolf Pauls, West Germany’s Ambassador, conferred today with Aryeh Levavi, director-general of the Foreign Ministry, and requested official “clarification” of the note expressing Israel’s support of the Warsaw Government’s contention that Poland’s Oder-Niesse borders with Germany cannot be altered.)
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