A French Foreign Ministry official’s statement that “France supports the Arab cause” was sharply attacked by Gen. Pierre Koenig, a former leader of the French resistance during World War II and president of the French Committee for Solidarity with Israel. Gen. Koenig said that the statement, by Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Jean de Lipkovsky, “places France in one of the two camps and thus deprives her of any possibility of acting as a mediator or in any other useful capacity in the Middle East conflict.”
M. de Lipkovsky made his statement last Sunday at the opening of a French industrial exhibit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Gen. Koenig urged the French Government to “assume its responsibilities by showing due regard for Israel’s rights and for justice.” His remarks were published in several French newspapers but there has been no official comment from the Foreign Ministry.
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