French Foreign Minister Jean Sauvagnargues announced here yesterday that Israel Foreign Minister Yigal Allon will arrive on an official visit to France in March. His visit will be the first ministerial visit to France since October 1968 when Abba Eban met his French colleague, Michel Debre, in Paris.
French officials later told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Allon will arrive on March 13 and spend three days in France. He will meet with President Valery Giscard D’Estaing, Premier Jacques Chirac and Sauvagnargues. The French Minister, who was speaking over the French national radio, said that he is looking forward to Allon’s arrival “as I developed with him during my visit to Israel friendly and trusting relations.”
The French Minister said in reply to a question, “what separates us from the Israelis are our divergent views on the Palestinian issue.” He added, “If a catastrophe is to be averted Israelis and Palestinians will have to open a dialogue. The two peoples are cousins and they should seek cooperation instead of fighting amongst themselves.”
Sauvagnargues said his government will do nothing to impede American Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s step-by-step diplomacy. He said, however, that “one day a global approach will be needed in order to settle all the outstanding issues.” The Minister seemed to refer to a resumption of the Geneva conference under the term “global approach.” Sauvagnargues was interviewed by six newsmen, including the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The others were French radio and newspaper correspondents.
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