Allon Says Tandem Talks Suggested to Offset Egyptian Propaganda

Deputy Premier Yigal Allon explained to his colleagues at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting that his recent remark to newsmen in Washington that Israel and Egypt could negotiate an interim Suez Canal accord and an overall peace settlement simultaneously was intended to counter Egyptian propaganda in the U.S. that Israel was not interested in a permanent peace. Allon said the suggestion represented his “own personal view” and that the idea of parallel talks was not brought up by either side during his meetings with American officials earlier this month.

The Israel government has made it clear that Allon’s suggestion was not in accord with official policy and several Cabinet ministers questioned the propriety of his bringing it up in public. Allon’s explanation was relayed to newsmen by Cabinet secretary Michael Arnon who said the topic was neither debated nor voted on by the Cabinet.

An Israeli radio correspondent reported Saturday from Washington that the U.S. was seeking “clarification” of Allon’s remarks. Arnon said no request for clarification was mentioned at yesterday’s Cabinet session. Another government source said no such request has been received in Jerusalem.

Allon said that he suggested tandem talks because questions asked of him by reporters after his meeting with Secretary of State William P. Rogers “mirrored a suspicion which Egypt is encouraging in the U.S.–that Israel wants to avoid an overall settlement and wants to turn a partial settlement into a permanent de facto situation.”

He said that “in order to give lie to this suspicion, I stressed that there was no doubt of Israel’s readiness for an overall settlement with Egypt. I added that in my own personal opinion at proximity talks for a partial settlement under U.S. auspices, the representatives of the two sides could discuss simultaneously an overall settlement. This idea has not been broached in the Cabinet and is only my personal idea.”