Germany has undertaken a diplomatic initiative to create conditions conducive to a settlement of the Arab-Israeli dispute and the Palestinian problem, government sources indicated Tuesday.
The disclosure followed last week’s visit here by Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy.
According to German sources, Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who recently visited Moscow, tried to convince Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev not to delay the resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel, which the Soviets broke in 1967.
Genscher reportedly told the Soviet leader that a move toward normalizing relations with Israel would improve Jerusalem’s flexibility in dealing with the Palestinians.
Germany is still technically committed to an international conference to resolve the Middle East conflict, a formula long favored by the European Community but opposed by Israel.
During Levy’s visit, however, Bonn agreed direct contacts between Israel and the Arab states should precede the conference.
Sources here said Bonn is also exerting its influence with the Arab countries to convince them to open a dialogue with Israel. The Germans are telling Arab states that bilateral talks would make it easier for the Likud government to make any concessions on the key Palestinian issue.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
