Ambassador Gideon Raphael, who has been named to succeed Ambassador Michael Comay as Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, will visit Moscow prior to his arrival in New York next month, it was reported here today.
According to the report, which appeared in the daily Maariv, Ambassador Raphael contacted the Soviet Foreign Ministry and asked whether the Ministry would consider favorably a visit by him, on an unofficial basis, to Moscow for talks on regional and international problems. He also indicated he wanted to make personal acquaintance with the Soviet Foreign Ministry officials dealing with the Middle East. According to Maariv, the response was positive.
The Israeli envoy will be the guest of Israel Ambassador Katriel Katz in Moscow. It was not immediately learned with which Soviet officials he will meet. Political sources in Jerusalem welcomed the positive Soviet response. It was indicated that Dimitri Chuvalihin, the Soviet Ambassador to Israel, was instrumental in achieving the Soviet response.
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