An international conference for Middle East peace was endorsed in principle Monday by the 12 member-states of the European Economic Community. It was the first formal statement of support for such a conference by the EEC Foreign Ministers, meeting here under the chairmanship of Belgian Foreign Minister Leo Tindemans, current president of the EEC Council of Ministers.
The statement did not address the form or composition of such a conference, but suggested it be held under United Nations auspices with the participation of the parties concerned and any other parties that could make a positive contribution to peace in the Middle East and the region’s economic and social development.
Tindemans disclosed that he received a message from the Soviet Union last week outlining its position on an international conference. He did not divulge the contents, but said he would convey the EEC’s position verbally to the Soviet Ambassador in Brussels.
The EEC statement said an international conference should provide a suitable framework for the necessary negotiations between the disputing parties and that it was prepared to contribute, both as an international body and as individual states, to bringing closer the positions of the parties concerned.
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.
