Arabs Expect European Nations to Implement Statements on Mideast by Offering Concrete Acts

Arab League Secretary General Mahmoud Riad said here today that the Arab world expects Western Europe “to put into concrete acts its past declarations over the Middle East.” Riad, who was speaking before the Franco-Arab Press Association, said “the nine (EEC member states) last Nov. expressed their support for the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territories.” The nine also said at the time, declared Riad, “that these are the basic conditions for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. The time has now come for Europe to turn into concrete acts its past declarations.”

Riad, who yesterday conferred at length with French Foreign Minister Jean Sauvagnargues, the current president of the EEC’s Council of Ministers, said that the “very start of the Euro-Arab dialogue is by itself a fact of considerable political significance.”

The Arab League official refused to say whether yesterday’s meeting, which officially launched the long planned Euro-Arab dialogue on economic and political cooperation, has decided on whether Europe will play a political role in the Middle East conflict as the Arabs have demanded as the price for their economic concessions.

French officials here say that this issue was not discussed at yesterday’s meeting, as both sides, the European and the Arabs, tried to avoid delicate problems which might have jeopardized the continuation of the dialogue. The dialogue is now expected to become a full-fledged negotiation next Nov. when the nine European nations and the 20 members of the Arab League will form their “Central Commission.”

ISRAEL WILL BE INFORMED

Israel will be officially informed of the dialogue’s results tomorrow afternoon when Israeli Ambassador to France, Asher Ben Natan will meet with Sauvagnargues. The nine decided at recent meetings in Bonn and Brussels to keep Israel fully informed of their negotiations with the Arab states. Tomorrow’s meeting will be held, however, at the initiative of the Israeli envoy.

Ben Natan, who is leaving Saturday for Israel, is expected to brief the government on the European-Arab contacts some time next week. Israel has been following with considerable interest, and some say with a certain anxiety, the resumption of the Arab-European dialogue which European diplomats believe could ultimately involve Europe deeper in the Middle East conflict and the search for a solution.

EUROPEANS DOWNPLAY POLITICAL ASPECTS

According to French circles, however, during the months leading up to the Nov. meeting, limited contacts between Europe and the Arab states will take place at the ministerial aide level to work up a list of common interest, especially in the fields of agriculture, industry and technology.

Yesterday, Riad, speaking for the Arabs, restricted himself to the limited statement that “the political and economic aspects of the dialogue are very closely linked.” However, other Arab commentaries were less restrained. The Algerian newspaper “Achaab” reportedly warned that the Euro-Arab dialogue would be “still-born” if Europe failed to seize the opportunity to define its position regarding the Palestinian cause.

For their part, the Europeans have played down the political aspects of the dialogue, apparently not wishing to be accused by the United States of interfering with American peace efforts in the Middle East. France, for its part, however, has stressed that the opening of talks between Europe and the Arab world is an important political event. And for Sauvagnargues, the dialogue should have “a stabilizing effect” on the situation in the Middle East.