The Foreign Ministry lodged a formal protest with the American Embassy yesterday over what it considers an unauthorized meeting recently by the U.S. economic and commercial attache, Daniel Nestor, with members of the Ramallah Chamber of Commerce in that West Bank Arab town. The Ministry asked the Embassy to see to it that any future contacts between American diplomats and West Bank residents are arranged through the Israeli military government.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Nestor’s remarks at the meeting were interpreted by the Arab businessmen as advice to discontinue doing business with American firms through their Israeli agents and to establish their own direct contacts with the firms in the U.S. instead, Nestor has denied that he made any statements of a political nature at the meeting. He said he merely explained to the Arab merchants their rights under the U.S. Trade Opportunity Program.
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