In an impromptu press conference today, U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger said he did not justify America’s Mideast policy at the meeting of the NATO foreign ministers here today. “I did not come here to seek European Economic Community support of America’s policy in the Mideast….We have always supported the UN Security Council Resolution (242) and our policy has always consisted of aiding the parties to the conflict in reaching a lasting peace,” he said.
Yesterday, during the NATO meeting, Kissinger said America’s policy during the recent Mideast war resulted in a military and political atmosphere conducive to a fair peace settlement. The settlement will preserve western influence in the Middle East, he said.
French Foreign Minister Michel Jobert, however, sharply disagreed with Kissinger over U.S. action in the Middle East crisis. Jobert strongly condemned what he called America’s failure to consult with its European partners before calling a worldwide alert of its armed forces during the war. Observers here said that Kissinger was concerned that the current dissension in the Atlantic Alliance might harm the west’s position at the forthcoming Geneva peace conference and perhaps strengthen the Arabs.
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