Premier Golda Meir reportedly told the Cabinet today that Arab-Israeli peace negotiations would have to be preceded by a “declaration of intent” from both sides that they were meeting in accordance with the Security Council’s Nov. 22, 1967 resolution to reach a just and lasting peace.
Informed sources said the subject came up in the course of Mrs. Meir’s report on her visit to the United States. Mrs. Meir noted that the 1949 Arab-Israel armistice talks on Rhodes began with a “declaration of intent” by both sides that they were seeking an armistice. The declaration was filed before entering on substantive matters, she said. She asserted that there had been direct talks at Rhodes between both sides and said she had found it necessary to make some clarifications on this issue when she met UN Secretary -General Thant last month.
No details of today’s Cabinet session were released. It was learned however that Mrs. Meir told her colleagues that she had brought up the case of the two Israeli nationals held captive in Damascus with President Nixon and with every other U.S. official she met. She said she had found Mr. Nixon willing to consider maintaining the arms balance in the Middle East — a policy which, Mrs. Meir said, brought tangible results in the past. She said economic issues were also raised with the President and that the U.S. is well aware of the heavy burdens Israel has to bear.
In a related development, Finance Minister Zeev Sharef confirmed yesterday that Mrs. Meir had asked President Nixon for a loan of one billion dollars. He confirmed news reports — which the Government had earlier denied — of the requested sum which Israel says it needs to offset heavy military expenditures during the next five years. However, Mr. Sharef said, “the check is not in our pocket yet.” Mr. Sharef just returned from Washington where he attended the International Monetary Fund conference and had a meeting with Secretary of the Treasury David M. Kennedy.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
