French Ministerial Committee Expected to Meet This Week to Consider Embargo

A blue ribbon ministerial committee is expected to meet here later this week to re-examine France’s embargo on aircraft, military equipment and spare parts for Israel. The meeting shapes up as a contest between orthodox Gaullists loyal to the policies of former President Charles de Gaulle and the Gaullists of President Georges Pompidou’s outlook who appear more flexible on France’s policies toward the Middle East, NATO and Europe in general, reports JTA’s Paris correspondent Edwin Eytan.

According to official circles here, the committee will be headed by Premier Jacques Chaban-Delmas and will consist of Foreign Minister Maurice Schumann, Finance Minister Valery Giscard d’Estang and Defense Minister Michel Debre. Several other Cabinet ministers may be invited to participate in the discussion, sources here said.

Among the aforementioned, only M. Debre, the Foreign Minister of the de Gaulle regime, can be regarded as an orthodox Gaullist with a less than neutral if not unfriendly attitude toward Israel. He was one of several hard-line Gaullists who expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to re-examine the embargo and who took issue with Premier Chaban-Delmas’ interpretation of President Pompidou’s attitude toward the arms ban. The Premier, who said he was stating the new President’s views on the subject, commented last week that the embargo was intended as an “example” to other powers to desist from sending arms to the Middle East. But orthodox Gaullists have claimed that this is a repudiation of Gen. de Gaulle’s view of the embargo. They say the former President imposed the embargo as “punishment for Israel’s “aggressive intentions” and its June, 1967 attack on the Arab countries. The embargo originally applied to 50 Mirage V jets which Israel bought and paid for. President de Gaulle broadened it last January to include all military equipment and spare parts following Israel’s retaliatory raid on Beirut Airport.

Observers here do not believe the orthodox Gaullists will carry much weight with President Pompidou if and when he reaches a decision on the embargo. They note that apart from M. Debre, they consist of second string politicians without great influence.

The French newspaper L’Aurore said today that President Pompidou is likely to follow one of three possible courses on the embargo question. He could address an appeal to the Big Powers to follow France’s example and impose arms embargoes of their own on the Middle East; he could release the 50 Mirage jets to Israel while maintaining an embargo on all subsequent military orders from Israel; or he could lift the embargo entirely on the grounds that none of the Big Powers has followed France’s example.