Mitterrand Promises That France Will Consider Israel’s Interests in the European Economic Community

President Francois Mitterrand of France told a delegation of American Jewish leaders last night that there is no hostility toward Israel within the European Economic Community (EEC) and promised that his country would take Israeli interests into consideration in assessing the economic impact of the EEC’s expansion by the entry of Spain and Portugal.

The French President met with the Jewish leaders’ delegation, headed by Edgar Bronfman, President of the World Jewish Congress, at the French Consulate General here. Information on the content of the meeting was given to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency by a spokesman for WJC.

According to the spokesman, the Jewish leaders discussed with Mitterrand various issues, among them Soviet Jewry, anti-Semitism at the United Nations, the situation in Lebanon in the aftermath of the French troop withdrawal, anti-Semitic extremists in France and Europe, and the effort to extradite Nazi war criminal Walter Rauff from Chile.

The spokesman said the meeting between the dozen Jewish leaders and Mitterrand "was candid and revealing." He said the French President was "very open" and went so far as to speak of the various anti-Israel elements he must contend with both internally and externally, in shaping France’s foreign policy. "In sum," the spokesman said, "Mitterrand made clear that France stood four-square behind Israel on matters relating to Israel’s survival, but reserved the right to disagree on other issues."

The spokesman added that Mitterrand said he had spoken to Spanish Premier Felipe Gonzalez concerning the establishment of diplomatic relations between Spain and Israel. He quoted the French leader as saying: "We love the people of Israel and respect the state."

Among the members of the delegation was Julius Berman, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.