President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia reiterated here today his appeal to the Arab rulers to negotiate peace with Israel and asserted that “the time is working in favor of my ideas.” The Tunisian leader, whose first appeals for such negotiations rocked the Arab world last year and evoked savage criticism from the Arab leaders, spoke out again for the idea at a press conference at the Tunisian Embassy. He is currently on an official visit to Belgium.
Replying to questions about the Middle East problem, he said “peace in this area will not come tomorrow but my plan will make the responsibles think it over.” He said he had suffered criticism in the past for his suggestions “but after some time my ideas are often adopted. Anyway, the time is working in favor of my ideas.”
“Acceptable solutions,” he said, “have to be found for both parties, for the Palestinians who were the subjects of an injustice and lost their land, and for the Jews — that means the Israelis — who were also the subjects of an injustice.” To put an end to an injustice, however, one must not create another injustice. I repeat, acceptable solutions for everybody must be found in order that peace may be established in this part of the Middle East.”
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