Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger indicated Friday that a peace settlement is possible in the Middle East without the Soviet Union’s participation but he would not say how Congress can help induce the Soviet Union to join in the process to end the Israeli-Arab conflict.
The Soviet role came up when Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R. NY) questioned Kissinger during his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on foreign aid for the coming year on what the Soviet objective is in the Middle East.
“The Soviet Union has not been disruptive as it could have been nor as helpful as it might have been,” Kissinger testified. “I won’t say absolutely if the Soviet Union does not participate in the peace process there won’t be a peace.” Kissinger said. Noting Soviet influence in Iraq and “less” in Syria, Kissinger observed that the Soviet Union “has not come up with a precise plan” for a settlement but neither has it “blocked U.S. steps” that the U.S. has made unilaterally.
He observed that if any “outside power” is loyal to “only one party” it would not be contributing much towards a solution. It was noted that in saying this. Kissinger perhaps had indicated the route of the U.S. government’s own diplomacy.
Kissinger also said the “tendency” to see the Soviet as “intervening in every case” was incorrect, noting that the relevant U.S. position in the Middle East has “greatly improved” and with it the “prospects for peace.” The “power of the Soviet Union to prevent peace — if that is its policy — has declined,” he added.
While Kissinger reaffirmed Administration support for Israel, praised Egyptian President Sadat and referred warmly to Jordan. Syria and particularly to Saudi Arabia, major questions on the Arab-Israeli conflict did not arise at the hearing. No mention was made of the continuing refusal by the Arab states to recognize Israel’s existence as a sovereign Jewish state and their attacks on Zionism. Nor was anything said about the UN Secretary Council debate on Israel’s administration of occupied territories.
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