Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon asked the Council of Ministers of the European Economic Community (EEC) to preserve a political balance and neutrality in its negotiations with the Arab countries.
Allon, who earlier signed Israel’s financial agreement with the nine-member states organization, warned the Council that the “Euro-Arab dialogue” is taking a political turn. He said the dialogue which started as an economic and cultural exchange of views is now rapidly becoming a political forum.
Allon signed the new agreements in the EEC official headquarters of Val Duchesse, an 18th Century castle. British Foreign Secretary Anthony Crosland, the current president of the Council, and Claude Cheyson, the Common Market’s Foreign Minister, signed on behalf of the EEC.
COULD LEAD TO MIDEAST COOPERATION
The Israeli Minister said in his speech that the new agreement could evolve into a Middle-East cooperation project. He stressed that the EEC has signed similar agreements with Israel and the Arab states and said this could eventually enable the two sides to cooperate among themselves. He said Israel is prepared to make available to its neighbors its work and experience in the fields of solar energy, desalination, the development of arid zones and harbor management.
Allon stressed also that Israel is not satisfied with the new agreements and will continue to press for the status of Associate Member which would enable it to cooperate more fully with the European community.
Earlier, Allon conferred with the West German Foreign Minister Hans Dietrich Genscher who is due to visit Israel next month. Genscher, who plans a fact finding tour of the Middle East, will arrive in Israel March 16. Allon is also due to meet later today with French Foreign Minister Louis de Guiringaud.
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.
