Israel has received no peace proposal from Yugoslavia’s President Tito, and will not be bound by any agreement that had not been submitted to Israel, Foreign Minister Abba Eban informed the Cabinet today. Yugoslavia’s position regarding Israel at the United Nations and elsewhere, he pointed out, does not take account of Israel’s fundamental rights.
Mr. Eban implied that Marshal Tito, who went first to Cairo, has proceeded to Damascus and Baghdad and is reportedly scheduled to confer again with Egypt’s President Nasser on Wednesday is not acceptable to Israel as a mediator in the Middle East crisis. Yugoslavia broke diplomatic relations with Israel in June, along with all the other East European Communist states except Rumania.
Israel’s position, Mr. Eban noted, is one that had been formulated by the Cabinet and approved by its Parliament. “That position,” he emphasized, “remains unchanged. It laid down the principle that Israel will not evacuate its forces from any of the Arab areas which she occupies until a peace treaty is signed as a result of direct negotiations with the Arab states.”
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