Soviet Ambassador Dimitri Chubakhin was reported today to have told Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel’s Foreign Minister, that the Soviet Union does not support President Nasser of Egypt “blindly” and that it favors peaceful co-existence in the Middle East as in other parts of the world.
The Soviet envoy reportedly took that stand during a general exchange of views yesterday with Mrs. Meir on how to improve Israel-Soviet relations. The envoy also complained that the Israeli press was generally hostile to the Soviet Union and argued that the improvement of relations depended also on Israel’s attitude toward questions vital to the USSR, such as West German policy.
Political observers here were awaiting some indication from Moscow as to whether the Ambassador’s joining in the exchange was simply one of generalities or whether the Soviets were actually seeking an improvement in relations with Israel.
Meanwhile, Shmuel Mikunis and Moshe Sneh, leaders of the “moderate” faction of Israel’s tiny Communist party, told a meeting of the central committee of the faction that there was “every prospect for improved relations between Israel and Moscow.” The party formally split last August and the Soviet Communist leadership gave its blessing to the Mikunis-Sneh faction.
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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.
