Between 16-20 August, the prime minister visited Bucharest at the urgent invitation of Romania's President Ceaucescu. It turned out that there was no great urgency. The Romanian president urged Mr. Shamir to accept the idea of an international conference with the participation of the Soviet Union and the PLO. Mr. Shamir rejected the idea but the two leaders did agree that peace could be achieved only through direct talks between the parties. The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations and the role that Romania could play in facilitating the immigration of Soviet Jews. Since Romania was the only Eastern European country to maintain full diplomatic relations with Israel, and had good relations with the Arab countries, Israel sought to strengthen its good ties with President Ceaucescu and his officials and people. In the following interview the prime minister discussed the talks he had with the president of Romania.
Q: You went to Romania following President Ceaucescu's invitation to an urgent meeting with him. Does this urgency indicate some movement in his traditional stand favoring an international conference with PLO participation, or was it a false alarm?
A: It was not a [false] alarm, nor was it a message [calling for) my urgent arrival in Romania. It was a regular invitation to visit, with a request that the visit take place as soon as possible. I didn't expect special news, since I am familiar with the Romanian president's views. Our ambassador in Bucharest Mr. [Yosef] Govrin hears them often.
Q: You said you didn't expect to hear anything new from Ceaucescu. Is this in fact the case?
A: I can't say that. Whenever you speak with a man who looks deeply into international developments like President Ceaucescu, you always hear something new. The new matter that I heard from him is the emphasis on changes for the better which have taken place in the Middle East. That is, positive developments, and the recognition by more and more elements in the Arab world that they must arrive at peaceful coexistence with Israel.
Q: You present these issues in such a convincing manner. Is this also your opinion?
A: I believe that there is something to it. I believe that there are actually encouraging signs from the standpoint that more and more people in the Middle East understand that it's impossible to destroy Israel, and that a peaceful solution
must be found. The question today, at this stage in the conflict, is not whether there is a need for peace, but what must be and can be the conditions for this peace.
Q: What do you expect to occur from now until your concluding meeting with Ceaucescu?
A: I believe that he will consider what he heard from me, I will consider what I heard from him, and we will arrive at more or less the same summation of our beliefs with a definition of what we have in common and what separates us.
Q: Will a joint communique be issued?
A: We didn't discuss a joint communique. I don't know at this moment if this is really a necessary or desirable conclusion. In any case, this has no special significance.