Shamir Gets Calls--but No Arabs on Line
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s office received many telephone calls Sunday voicing hopes for Middle East peace--but none from Arab leaders who had been invited to call.
A receptionist said that Shamir’s new Cabinet, meeting for the first time, received dozens of congratulatory calls, and several callers appealed for peace, but a spokeswoman said that none came from Arab states.
Israeli Justice Minister Dan Meridor invited Arab countries on Saturday to call the prime minister’s office at “Jerusalem 705555” to show they want peace.
Army Radio broadcast the appeal after U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III publicly gave out the White House phone number and told Israel, “When you’re serious about peace, call us.”
Shamir’s chief of staff, Yossi Ahimeir, told Israel Radio that the prime minister’s telephone is ready for any call that would help to advance peace--whether from Washington or anywhere else.
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