At the 423rd meeting of the Council of Western European Union (WEU), held at ministerial level on 1 July 1971 in London and chaired by the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the delegations discuss the situation in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. On the matter of a possible provisional arrangement between Egypt and Israel, Sir Alec Douglas-Home remains very sceptical as to whether such an arrangement would be accepted. The French State Secretary in the Foreign Ministry, Jean de Lipkowski, also does not believe in a partial settlement to the conflict. Nevertheless, he notes that the countries involved are expecting the European powers to continue to uphold the law and to reiterate the principles that should guide the international community as it seeks to establish a just peace in the area.