Pope Paul VI today called for a prompt exchange of prisoners between Israel and Syria, Vatican sources said. During a private audience with two parents of Israeli POWs in Syria, the Pope expressed the hope that “the positive and fruitful pursuit of negotiations will make possible a rapid exchange of prisoners.”
The Pope told Baruch Tor of Tirat Tzvi Kibbutz and Perez Mazuz of Beersheba that “we share with all our heart” your hopes to soon be reunited with your sons. He added that he had personally intervened several times to facilitate the resolution of the POW problem in the Middle East. “We hope the negotiations will lead to the solution of the humanitarian problems of the Middle East crisis, which would be a step forward toward the peace desired by everyone.” the Pope said.
French artists have come out in support of the Soviet ballet dancers Valery and Galina Panov who have been seeking unsuccessfully to emigrate to Israel. Some 200 producers, directors, actors, dancers, choreographers, singers and musicians have appealed to Soviet Communist Party Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev to grant the couple exit visas.
Among those artists who signed a petition conveyed to the Soviet Embassy in Paris, were satirical singer Georges Brassens; director Jules Dassins; actor Jean-Louis Barrault; novelist Marguerite Duras; singer Jane Birkin, actress Marthe Keller, and choreographer Maurice Bejart.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
