Israeli, Iraqi Officials Shake Hands
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
UNITED NATIONS – A chance encounter here yesterday marked the first known open contact between Israeli and Iraqi officials. And while far from conducting substantive negotiations, the two officials appeared to find themselves in sympathy.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom of Israel, who came with other top officials from 191 nations to attend the opening day of the General Assembly debate, exchanged pleasantries for a few moments with Prime Minister Allawi of Iraq.
“We shook hands, I said I hoped there will be peace in our region, and that was it,” Mr. Shalom said, adding the meeting was not planned. It was made possible only as result of the assembly seating arrangement, which allots national location in the hall according to alphabetical order.
“I am really glad that there is an opportunity to talk to a legitimate Iraqi government,” Mr. Shalom told The New York Sun afterward. “This of course was not possible at Saddam’s time.”
Expressing hope that the political change in Iraq will be completed, including the installation of an elected government by early next year, he said, “This will encourage others in the region to ask the same type of change in their countries. We always said it was time for us to stop being the only democracy in the Middle East.”
The Israeli noted that on the eve of the Iraq war a year ago, “the Americans told us we will have peace with Iraq.” But he acknowledged that as an Arab country, Iraq is “under pressure” not to be seen too much as on Israel’s side.
Nevertheless, Mr. Shalom said that in meetings with other Arab officials, he realized that beside the issue of Palestinian Arabs there was little remaining disagreement between Arab states and Israel. The growth of Al Qaeda, he said, is a major point of concern in Arab capitals and was raised in meetings he had with Arab colleagues.
Mr. Shalom’s meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly debate include foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, and Oman. He said that in those meetings he expresses the hope that the General Assembly will be able to cut down this year on the more than 20 traditional anti-Israel resolutions, which he said clutter the assembly’s schedule, leaving no time for such issues as poverty, AIDS, and Sudan, to name just a few.
