Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze sent a personal message Monday to Foreign Minister David Levy, saying he looked forward to meeting Levy at the annual U.N. General Assembly session in New York in September, and calling for a comprehensive diplomatic dialogue.
Israeli sources said the message indicates that Shevardnadze intends to hold substantive discussions with Levy and not merely a courtesy encounter during the General Assembly.
Alexei Chestakov, head of the Soviet consular mission in Tel Aviv, who recently returned from Moscow, personally delivered the message, urging Levy to “prepare thoroughly” for the encounter.
After talking to Levy, the Soviet diplomat flew to Cairo to brief Gennady Terrasov, the Kremlin’s senior Middle East trouble-shooter, who is visiting the Egyptian capital.
Levy and his aides said they were gratified to receive the message, and Levy urged the Soviet Union to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.
A message similar to Chestakov’s was conveyed here Tuesday by Israeli government secretary Elyakim Rubinstein, who was recently in Moscow where he met with Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Belonogov.
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