On the eve of the arrival here of U.S. Secretary of State William P. Rogers to confer with Foreign Minister Maurice Schumann, French circles made it clear that France considers any settlement of the Suez Canal issue to be only a first step in the implementation of Security Council Resolution 242, and not as an independent problem. The circles stated that in France’s view, there can be no solution to the current Mideast crisis unless Israel accepts the spirit and letter of the resolution which calls for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Arab territories. Partial Israeli withdrawal from the canal, as the first step in the application of the resolution, is the only chance to arrive at a settlement of the global problem, the circles said. They stressed that Schumann will make this position clear to Rogers when the two meet tomorrow morning at the Quai D’Orsay. Earlier today Israel Ambassador Asher Ben-Nathan conferred with Herve Alphand, director general of the Foreign Ministry, on the question of French Mirage jets to Libya in light of the proposed new Arab federation.
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