Shamir in Hungary, May Restore 1st Full Ties to East Bloc Nation

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir made a sudden trip to Hungary on Monday to discuss upgrading of diplomatic ties with the Budapest regime, a senior government official said. If full relations are established, Hungary would be the first East Bloc country to restore ties with Israel that were severed after the 1967 Middle East War.

The lightning visit--Shamir is expected to return today--follows an unpublicized trip by the Hungarian foreign minister to Jerusalem over the weekend. Israel and Hungary maintain consulates in each other’s capitals; it is not clear whether embassies will be opened or whether some intermediate step will be taken to signal better relations.

Improved ties between Israel and East European nations are considered a step toward relations with the Soviet Union, although Moscow has said that full diplomatic links with Israel must await solid progress on peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Recently, Hungarian officials said they see no reason why relations with Israel should remain cut. No Israeli prime minister has visited Hungary before, although lower-ranking Israeli officials have reportedly been there on trade and cultural missions.

Soviet officials themselves have made several diplomatic overtures to Israel in recent months. They upgraded the status of the Israeli Consulate in Moscow from one that handled only visa and immigration matters to one that can also make political contacts with Kremlin officials. The Soviets also have eased restrictions on Jewish emigration.

An Israeli basketball team recently played in Moscow, and a Jewish cultural center opened there.

For its part, Israel sent aid to relieve victims of last year’s earthquake in Soviet Armenia, and when hijackers forced a Soviet airliner to Israel, they were sent back to the Soviet Union for prosecution.

Over the last few months, Israel has also made progress in improving ties with African states that were broken after the 1973 Middle East War. Twenty-nine African states broke relations after Israeli troops crossed the Suez Canal in their counterattack on Egypt, an African country.

Last month, Kenya and the Central African Republic renewed ties with Israel. In all, seven black African countries have done so since 1982. Three others--Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland--retained their ties with Israel through the 1970s, while in Ghana, Israel maintains a second-level “Israeli interest office.”

Nigeria and Ethiopia are expected to recognize Israel this year.