Israel Ambassador Yaacov Tsur conferred today with French Foreign Minister Couve de Murville prior to the latter’s departure for Bonn to discuss Middle Eastern issues with the West German Government.
It is understood that Ambassador Tsur stressed Israel’s desire for neutrality and its anxiety for peace. At the same time, it was learned that he asked the French Foreign Minister to see to it that Israel’s interests should be protected if and when a summit conference takes place.
France will not present Israel’s position to the summit meeting, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said later. However, he expressed the opinion that Israel’s stand would be discussed at the Great Power deliberations, as would the problem of borders and relations among the various Middle East states.
Shimon Peress, director general of Israel’s Ministry of Defense, is due to arrive here from Jerusalem tomorrow. Later, he will proceed to London and Washington, France Soir, a leading evening paper, reports that Mr. Peres’ mission is to obtain arms for Israel in the Western countries in view of the possible arms embargo on the Middle East. If such an embargo is imposed, the paper says, Israel will remain at a disadvantage in relation to the Arab states who have received modern arms from the Soviet Union as well as from the United States.
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