Robert Stanfield, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, said he has no intention of meeting with any Palestine Liberation Organization representatives either in Canada or in the Middle East while he is there to study the feasibility of moving Canada’s Embassy in Israel From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Stanfield was appointed special Ambassador to the Middle East by Prime Minister Joe Clark to sound out the feelings on this issue among leaders of Arab countries.
During a meeting with a delegation of the Canadian-Arab Federation in Ottawa several days ago, Stanfield was told that a meeting could be arranged with PLO chief Yasir Arafat while he is on his Mideast visit. The delegation also asked Stanfield to Intervene with the Canadian government for the opening of a PLO bureau in Canada. Stanfield is understood to maintain that the PLO is not representative of all the Palestinian people and that in the past he opposed Arafat’s presence at the Unite Nations General Assembly.
Before leaving for the Mideast next month, Stanfield will meet with representatives of Canada’s business community and other organizations who favor an eventual transfer of Canada’s Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
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