President Samuel Doe of Liberia arrived in Israel today on a four-day official visit one week after his country had announced the renewal of diplomatic relations with Israel.
He came here with a party of 40 officials, including six Cabinet ministers, aboard a special El Al plane which had been sent by the Israeli government to Monrovia to pick him up.
On his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Doe was greeted with full state honors, including a red carpet and a 21-gun salute, by Israeli President Chaim Herzog. Herzog recalled that Liberia had been among the first countries to vote for the establishment of Israel in 1947 and had been among the first to forge diplomatic ties with the Jewish State and the last to break them off under Arab pressure, following the Yom Kippur War.
Doe replied warmly, saying that his country hoped to benefit from Israel’s experiences. From the airport, the Liberian leader drove with Herzog to Jerusalem where he was welcomed at the city’s entrance by Mayor Teddy Kollek with the traditional bread, salt and wine.
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