Greek Prime Minister Renews Call for Palestinian State

Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou of Greece called for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel with secure frontiers. At a press conference here last week, the 64-year-old Greek leader said his 18-month-old government intends to “develop and enrich” its growing ties with the Arab world.

Papandreou, who was in Canada to promote Canadian investment in his country, compared Greece’s struggle for national independence with that of the Palestinians’ quest for self-determination. Greece, he emphasized, has a “soft spot” in its heart for “any people” seeking self-determination and a homeland.

Papandreou, who heads the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, has moved Greece closer to the Arabs since he took over as Prime Minister in the autumn of 1981.

PAPANDREOU’S ATTITUDE

Under Papandreou, Greece has become the only member of the European Economic Community to extend diplomatic recognition to the PLO. Yasir Arafat, chairman of the PLO, was the first foreign dignitary to visit Athens after Papandreou’s election victory. It was then that Greece permitted the PLO to open a mission in Athens. Israel also has a mission in the Greek capital.

During the war in Lebanon, he likened Israel’s invasion to Nazi genocide against Jews. In 1982, welcoming Arafat to Greece after his flight from Beirut, Papandreou described him as “this great fighter for freedom.” Not long after Israel invaded Lebanon, Papandreou expressed opposition to Israel’s “aggressive and expansionist policy.” At European Economic Community meetings, Greece took the lead in condemning Israel.

Papandreou, who was a York University professor of economics from 1969 to 1974, told reporters at his press conference held at the Hilton Harbour Castle Hotel, that he understood the Palestinians’ desire for sovereignty because Greece itself has had a “long and difficult” history.

Greece has always fought to maintain its independence and territorial integrity. Therefore, he explained, it is sympathetic to the Palestinians.

Papandreou, the son of a former prime minister, said “we have a soft spot in our heart for any people struggling for self-determination … and a homeland.”

In a reference to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, Papandreou said the Palestinians had been “kicked out” of their homeland. This, he noted, was a “major injustice” which could be remedied if they were granted a homeland.

He said that Israel was entitled to “secure frontiers” and that the Palestinians deserved a homeland. (Earlier in the week, he told a joint session of the Senate and House of Commons that the Palestinians are “fully justified” in their demand for a homeland.)

Papandreou, who received an honorary doctor of laws degree from New York University at the tail end of his Canadian visit, said he would grant Israel and the PLO embassy status in Greece once the Arab-Israeli conflict is resolved.

GREECE HAS CLOSE TIES TO ARAB WORLD

(Yannis Haralambopoulos, Papandreou’s Foreign Minister, implied in a brief interview with this reporter that Greece has not asked the PLO to recognize Israel. He implied that Greece would urge that course on the PLO if Israel extended recognition to the PLO.)

Asked why his government is pursuing a stronger pro-Arab policy than previous Greek regimes, Papandreou said he was not concerned what his predecessors had done or not done. Greece, he said, was a European, Balkan and Mediterranean nation which, traditionally, has had close ties with the Arab world. It would be “short-sighted” if Greece viewed itself exclusively as a West European country, he added.

Greece, he went on to say, intended to develop and enrich its links with the Arabs. Greece imports much of its oil from Arab countries, and Greek construction firms have landed hefty contracts in places like Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

In 1981, Greek exports to the Arab world totalled more than $1 billion. A press release issued by the Greek embassy in Ottawa points out that investors will find “many attractive and unique features in Greece”–along them proximity to the Middle East and “excellent political and economic ties with countries throughout the Arab world.”