Quebec Premier Rene Levesque, who seeks political independence for the Canadian province he heads, said here that if Quebec becomes sovereign, its government will recognize Israel and favor a solution for the Palestinian Arabs in an “entity” of their own.
Levesque, in Washington seeking support of sovereignty for the French-speaking province, did not discuss the. Middle East in his address last Thursday at the National Press Club. However, later, in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, he said his government would have “no problem recognizing Israel.”
“The State of Israel is a national fact,” he said. “We also would like a sharing of some sort with the Palestinians.” Speaking of an “entity” for them, he said that “a solution should be found so that the two can co-exist.” Levesque declined to provide his views on the Palestine Liberation Organization. “Don’t get me into that can of worms,” he said.
He observed that “we have a large Jewish community” in Quebec and a “growing” number of Palestinian Arabs. Canada’s Jewish population is 305,000. About 115,000 live in Montreal, Quebec’s metropolis. Approximately the same number inhabit Toronto, the English-speaking province of Ontario. Levesque said that he discussed Israeli-Arab relations recently with former Israeli Defense Minister Shimon Peres when the latter visited Montreal.
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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.
