French Socialist Party leader Francois Mitterand denied today having expressed support for the demands of the Palestinian refugees to be permitted to return to their former homes in Israel. He arrived at Lydda Airport at the head of a six-member Socialist Party delegation for a four-day visit as the guest of Israel’s Labor Party. Angry at being questioned by reporters about the alleged statement, Mitterand denied having said at a March 8 press conference at his party headquarters in Paris that “I am on the side of all oppressed nations of the world, including the Palestinians.”
He said he had “a suspicion” that the news item attributing to him “a statement I did not make” was made public by elements interested in interfering with his visit to Israel. (It was learned here that the French Socialist Party, while approving Mitterand’s visit to Israel, had rejected sending a parallel delegation to the Arab countries.)
Mitterand refused to make any statement regarding the Palestinian refugees. “I want to see first. I may decide to make a statement before I leave.” He did, however, express the hope that Franco-Israeli relations would continue to improve. The French people were in favor of an improvement in relations, he said.
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