Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger will meet again with the U.S. Ambassadors to four Middle Eastern countries this week and also consult with leaders of Congress over the next two weeks as part of the reassessment of American policy toward the Middle East, the State Department disclosed.
Kissinger had met with the envoys to Israel, Jordan, Syria and Egypt last week after they had been summoned to Washington for consultations as a result of the breakdown of Kissinger’s peace mission, Kissinger has been in Palm Springs. Calif, conferring with President Ford since last Thursday night on foreign policy matters.
The President addresses a joint session of Congress Thursday night on foreign policy but he is not expected to go into details of the reassessment he has ordered, State Department spokesman Robert Anderson said he could not tell how long the reassessment would continue, Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger has estimated it would take six weeks. The reassessment began two weeks ago and is, therefore, expected to conclude in another month.
KISSINGER RETURN TO MIDEAST DOUBTFUL
Meanwhile, speculation that Kissinger would return to the Mideast for another attempt at shuttle diplomacy was rejected today by Anderson, He said there was no basis for this speculation or for reports that Egypt or Israel would send representatives to talks in Washington.
Anderson stated that no new suggestions had been received from Israel that would lead to a resumption of Kissinger’s efforts. He added that the U.S. remained in touch with Israel and Egypt and affirmed that both countries wanted the U.S. to continue its efforts. It was reported earlier that Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon and Defense Minister Shimon Peres were told not to come to Washington for talks until the U.S. reassessment of the Mideast was completed.
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.
