
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 25, 1990                   TAG: 9007250045
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A/3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

U.S. CRITICIZES BOYCOTT OVER JEWISH EMIGRES

The State Department on Tuesday sharply criticized a move by the Arab League to punish companies and groups that help Jews emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel.

"The position of the United States against Arab boycott activity is firm and unyielding," the department said in a statement. "The Arabs should end their boycott and end their challenges to Israel's legitimacy."

Clovis Maksoud, the Arab League's representative in Washington, said boycotts are legitimate during "a state of belligerency" between Israel and the Arabs. Maksoud also criticized the Bush administration for not declaring Jewish settlements on the West Bank and in Gaza illegal.

The Arab countries, meeting last week in Tunis, expressed concern about the record high flow of Jews to Israel from the Soviet Union. Arab League foreign ministers directed the league's boycott office to look into extending its boycott of companies that do business with Israel to also punish companies and institutions helping Soviet Jews to emigrate there. - Associated Press

by CNB