French President Charles de Gaulle stressed the need for Big Power guarantee of the territorial integrity of the states in the Middle East, in discussing the Near East region on his current visit to Moscow with Leonid I. Brezhnev, general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, it was reported here today. The report, broadcast here over Kol Israel, Israel’s government-owned radio network, came from the network’s correspondent who is a member of the news corps that accompanied President de Gaulle to Moscow.
During one of their talks in Moscow, the Kol Israel correspondent reported, Mr. Brezhnev told President de Gaulle that the Soviet Union maintains good relations with the countries in the Middle East, and wants peace in the area. Gen. de Gaulle then said that France also has good relations with the countries in the Middle East, mentioning Israel specifically among the states in that region.
The French leader then stressed the need for maintaining the territorial status quo in the Middle East. France, along with the United States and Britain, is a partner to the Tripartite Declaration for the guarantee of the Middle East borders, issued by the three powers in 1950. Israel’s Ambassador to Paris, Walter Eytan, was understood to have requested in a visit to the French Foreign Minister, Maurice Couve de Murville, a week ago, that President de Gaulle raise the point of including the USSR in the 1950 Declaration.
ISRAEL PREMIER TO SEEK MEETING WITH PRESIDENT DE GAULLE
Lamerhav, organ of Achdut Avodah, the party that entered into a political alignment last year with the dominant Mapai Party, reported today that Prime Minister Levi Eshkol will request a meeting with President de Gaulle in the near future. The principal aim of that meeting would reportedly be a discussion of France’s attitude toward Israel’s desire to become an associate member of the European Economic Community.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry sources were not prepared to discuss that report today. However, it was indicated that Israel will launch a strong political and diplomatic offensive on that issue soon in the capitals of the six Euromart states — France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Israel is disappointed over what officials here call the “meager and disappointing” results of its long drive to establish a link with the EEC. In the view of the Israeli officials, firmer action than ever must be undertaken to assure Israel’s ability to export goods to the Euromart countries, and such results can be achieved only through associate membership in the EEC.
(In Brussels, headquarters of the Euromart, a joint committee of the EEC and Israel signed a protocol yesterday defining Israel’s current link with the EEC, which Israel’s delegation called “a disappointment.” The protocol was signed after a warm debate in which Israel pointed out that the present trade arrangements between Israel and the Euromart are too limited. Israel’s delegation told the joint committee that only associate EEC membership would resolve the mutual trade concerns of Israel and the EEC members.)
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
