Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir said here last night that the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement stands as an island of stability in a violent Middle East and deserves the support of all nations. He said Israel hoped the European community would refrain from taking steps that could hurt the prospects for peace in the region.
The Israeli diplomat spoke at a State dinner given in his honor by West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher. Earlier yesterday he conferred for about an hour with Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and before that, had two long meetings with Genscher Shamir also met in Munich with Franz Josef Strauss, leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
He arrived here Sunday evening to begin a two-day official visit aimed at strengthening the dialogue between Israel and the Federal Republic. His visit precedes by less than two weeks the second stage of the European Economic Community’s (EEC) Middle East initiative.
The EEC heads of state will hold their second summit meeting this year in Luxembourg, Dec. 1-2. West German diplomats acknowledge that the results of the American Presidential election and the Iraqi-Iranian war have caused Bonn and its EEC partners to reconsider their next moves in the Middle East.
Shamir said at the State dinner, “We cannot agree to decisions or plans that are worked out without being discussed with us.” He was apparently referring to the EEC’s Venice declaration last June which called for association of the Palestine Liberation Organization with the Middle East peace process. “Israel is unable to accept participation of a murder organization in peace talks, ” Shamir said. He called the PLO a key element of the international terrorist movement.
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