Hope for Balanced Action Against Air Piracy at Icao Meeting

Israel will press for balanced action and firm measures against air piracy at this week’s meeting of the 30-member council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Foreign Minister Abba Eban and Transport Minister Shimon Peres said in interviews broadcast on Israel radio this weekend.

Peres said Israel expected to be criticized for its interception of a Lebanese airliner Aug. 10. but expressed hope for balanced action at the meeting which convenes tomorrow. “I hope that one-sided steps will not be taken against the actual victims of terrorism.” he said. “What is needed is action against the initiators of terrorism.”

The ICAO council will meet to consider a request by Lebanon that it censure Israel for the interception of the airliner and forcing it to land at an Israeli military airbase. The Lebanese request was sent by the country’s Director of Civil Aviation, Zouhair Beydoun. The Canadian Airline Pilots Association urged the Canadian government last Wednesday to bar flights to Canada by Israeli commercial airliners if Israel did not immediately guarantee that it would “never again ” conduct or condone interference with civilian flights.

Last Thursday it was reported that the U.S. Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) made a similar demand in a letter to Secretary of State William P. Rogers when it asked him to consider taking steps to suspend Israeli commercial air service to and from the U.S. unless Israel promises not to intercept an Arab airliner again. This weekend the head of ALPA denied that his group had made such a request.

Eban, in an interview recorded in New York, said “the test will come when the international civil aviation authorities face the opportunity to adopt the air safety charter which has not been ratified thus far because of Arab opposition.” The ICAO general assembly is due to meet Aug. 28 in Rome.