Linowitz More Hopeful That the Autonomy Talks Can Be Resumed

U.S. special Mideast envoy Sol Linowitz appeared more hopeful to night after two long days of talks in Israel than he had been when he arrived here Sunday. Concluding a second lengthy meeting with Premier Menachem Begin, the envoy sold waiting reporters that he has “hope we have mode some progress towards resumption” of the suspended autonomy talks. But he would “not know whether this is going to occur” until he had met with President Anwar Sadat in Alexandria tomorrow.

Begin said the envoy would take to Egypt a paper containing ideas on how to resume the talks. Israeli sources insisted later that Israel had not “paid a political price” for a resumption, and that the key to a resumption was still in Sadat’s hands.

There had been earlier reports that Linowitz was pressing Israel for some “gestures” that would help Sadat justify a resumption despite his (Sadat’s) own repeated assertions that there is no point returning the negotiations until after the American Presidential election.

‘GESTURES’ BY ISRAEL PONDERED

Linowitz himself, during his visit here, has expressed concern over the intention to move the Premier’s office to East Jerusalem and over the proposal currently under discussion in the political parties to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Golan Heights. Apparently he would like to be able to tell Sadat that neither of these actions is imminent. But it was unclear tonight whether in fact Israel had given any such explicit or implied commitment.

There were reports, too, that a “gesture” by Israel in the form of commuting sentences of jailed Palestinian terrorists would be a welcome message that Linowitz could deliver to Alexandria.

Some high Israeli policy makers went even further, suggesting that Israel consider a “gesture” on the Jerusalem holy places, giving Egypt to understand that Israel would be prepared to countenance Moslem or Arab rule/control over the two mosques on the Temple Mount.

But it seemed tonight that this idea had not gained wide acceptance in top government circles — and particularly not with Begin. Sources around the Premier reiterated their view that Egypt deserved no special concessions from Israel for having unilaterally suspended the talks several times. Egypt, these aides said, ought not to be provided — at Israel’s expense — with “a ladder on which to climb down.”

Linowitz told the reporters that Begin had “obviously given careful thought” to the ideas he had exchanged with him during the three-hour session yesterday. Today’s meeting lasted another 90 minutes. He said it had been agreed that certain things would be done to improve the atmosphere, but would not give details.

Despite this relative upswing in the U.S. envoy’s mood, some of the top Israeli autonomy negotiators continued tonight to doubt the success of his mission. These negotiators contended that Sadat plainly had no wish to resume the negotiations at this time but preferred to await the outcome of the U.S. Presidential elections. anticipating heightened pressure on Israel after November, especially if President Carter is reelected.