Soviets Visit Israel--First in 20 Years : Jerusalem Hopes Official Talks Lead to Renewed Relations

An eight-member Soviet consular delegation slipped quietly into Israel on Sunday night for the first official Soviet visit in 20 years, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said today.

Sources said the delegation arrived on the same Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna as freed Soviet Jewish dissident Yuli Edelstein, 29, who was given a tumultuous welcome by hundreds of religious nationalists at Ben Gurion Airport.

The delegation’s official mission is to survey an estimated $1 million worth of Russian Church property and check into the status of Soviet passport holders.

Renewing Diplomatic Ties

But Israeli officials have said they hope the visit also will serve as a first step toward renewal of diplomatic ties between the two countries, severed by the Kremlin after the 1967 Middle East war.

The delegation’s plans were not made public. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ehud Gol declined to give details of the Soviets’ schedule.

“They arrived last night. They have not established any contact with the Foreign Ministry,” Gol said by telephone. He said the delegates were staying at a Tel Aviv hotel.

The Finnish Embassy, which represents Soviet interests in Israel, also refused to give details.

Meeting in Finland

Last August, Israeli and Soviet delegates met for 90 minutes in Helsinki, Finland, in the first official meeting since ties were severed. Soviet delegates then requested an official visit to Israel. The low-level talks broke down after Israel insisted on a reciprocal visit and on discussing the topic of Soviet Jews.

The Kremlin severed ties with the Jewish state during the 1967 Middle East war, when Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan, the Gaza Strip from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria.

When Israel granted the visas last month, Gol said the Soviet delegation would be headed by consular chief Yevgeny Antipov. Gol declined today to identify any members of the delegation.

Possible Thaw

The arrival of the Soviet delegation came amid signs of a potential thaw in Soviet-Israeli relations.

Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, leader of the Labor Party, told Israel’s Cabinet on Sunday that during his trip to Geneva last week Soviet officials passed on a message indicating a desire to renew contacts with Israel. Peres said he expected the contacts to begin later this month.

Israeli news reports said the renewed contacts will include discussion on terms for Soviet participation in an international Middle East peace conference.

But Peres has said if the Soviets want to participate in such a conference they must renew diplomatic ties and allow more Soviet Jews to emigrate.

Peres has pushed for a peace conference. But his coalition rival, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, has bitterly opposed the idea, saying hostile countries would force Israel into territorial concessions.