Former West German Foreign Minister Gerhard Schroeder said here today that he favored international guarantees to protect Israel’s security and facilitate a Middle East peace settlement. Schroeder stated this view after he and a six member delegation of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee ended a meeting with Premier Yitzhak Rabin He said they had a wide-ranging and “frank” talk on the Middle East situation.
Schroeder, who is a leader of the Christian Democratic Party opposition in Bonn, arrived in Israel with his parliamentary delegation last night. He said the purpose of the visit was to find out what the West German parliament could do to further a Middle East peace settlement. Schroeder headed a similar group on a visit to Egypt earlier this year after which he said his impression was that President Anwar Sadat sincerely wanted peace.
Schroeder said he thought that multi-lateral guarantees of Israel’s security plus Israel’s defense capability offered the best protection. That view has been rejected by Israel as ineffective in a crisis situation.
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