Chancellor Helmut Schmidt said today in a press conference here that the declarations made by French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing during his recent visit to several Arab countries in the Middle East are in accordance with the German attitude toward a comprehensive peace settlement in the area. This includes, the Chancellor stressed, the recognition of Israel’s right to exist with secure borders and the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
Asked by an Arab journalist whether Bonn is going to follow France in an official recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Schmidt said: “Not today and not yesterday.” The Chancellor told the audience of more than 300 foreign and German journalists that he is going to meet with Giscard this Sunday in his hometown of Hamburg to discuss political problems. It is understood here that the Mideast will be high on the agenda of this informal meeting.
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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.