Peres Finds Support for Israel’s View at Socialist International Conference

Israeli opposition leader Shimon Peres discussed the Middle East situation yesterday with leaders of Socialist Parties from 20 nations. Peres, head of Israel’s Labor Party, stressed at the end of the seven-hour conference that he had found more support among the delegates attending the Mideast meeting of the Socialist International than he had expected. Conference sources said the Israeli point of view was supported mainly by the American and Dutch delegations.

Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, who hosted the conference, said at a press conference at the end of the meeting there had been a wide range of opinion but the general atmosphere had been constructive and positive. Kreisky stressed that especially on the question of a Palestinian state his own view differed strongly from that of Peres. But that is no secret, Kreisky said.

The delegate of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Sven Andersson, voiced his party’s concern that Israel had not yet answered Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s peace initiative. “We are following the continuation of this process with great concern,” Andersson said.

The conference came one day after Kreisky and Peres, at the suggestion of Kreisky, had met with Sadat in Salzburg to review the current Israeli-Egyptian peace moves. Peres said he was grateful for the meeting with Sadat that gave him the opportunity to resume the talks with Sadat he had begun in Jerusalem in November. But Peres stressed again he had in no way been authorized to negotiate in any way. The talks in Salzburg had merely been an informal round table conference, Peres said. Official talks can only be held at the governmental level, he stressed.