Government sources predicted here that the Middle East will soon be given a position of high priority in West German diplomatic activity. They said that the completion of Israel’s withdrawal from Sinai has opened a new chapter in Middle East diplomacy and the joint European efforts will soon be made to resolve the Palestinian issue. In Bonn’s view, such efforts are essential to speedy progress toward a general peace settlement.
The sources said that while Bonn is standing by the European Economic Community’s 1980 Venice declaration calling for the Palestine Liberation Organization to be associated with the peace process, it is equally anxious to improve relations with Israel. Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher is expected to announce a date for his planned visit to Israel within the next few weeks.
While Bonn’s official view seems to encourage new European moves in the Middle East, Alois Mertens, foreign policy spokesman for the opposition Christian Democratic Union, has warned against any separate European initiative.
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