Israeli and Egyptian officials trying to hammer out an agenda for the next round of autonomy talks ended two days of discussion at Herzliya this afternoon with no sign that any substantial progress was made. Meir Rosenne, legal advisor to the Foreign Ministry who headed the Israeli team, told a reporter when the meetings ended that “certain progress” had been made and that he and the Egyptian delegates would be reporting back to their respective governments.
It was indicated that further contacts on the “experts” level will be held before the full Israeli, Egyptian and American delegations resume the autonomy negotiations at Herzliya next week. There was no authoritative word on the nature of the obstacles. Observers here speculated that the Egyptians wanted to introduce the questions of Jerusalem and Israeli settlements on the West Bank to the agenda but Israel balked.
In addition to Rosenne, Israel was represented by Prof. Ruth Lopidoth, his designated successor when he takes over his post as Ambassador to France and by Gen. Abraham Tamir, head of the Defense Ministry’s planning division. Egypt was represented by Ibrahim Wahabi and Moussa Amr of the Foreign Ministry in Cairo and Col. Muhammad Faid of the Egyptian Defense Ministry. The American delegation was headed by David Korn, Israel Desk Officer at the State Department.
If the talks produced nothing of substance, the Egyptian visitors nevertheless enjoyed Tel Aviv nightlife last night as guests of their Israeli hosts. They were taken an a tour of the city capped by a late dinner at the Dan Hotel on the seashore. The Egyptians reportedly were impressed by the crowded streets, cafes and restaurants that were open at a late hour.
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.
