Talks on autonomy for the West Bank and Gaza Strip Palestinians will get under way at a summit conference between Premier Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Alexandria on Tuesday. But the positions of the two countries are still far apart, and there are re-
ported differences, mainly of approach, within the Israeli delegation.
While Begin still adopts an uncompromising stand, Interior Minister Yosef Burg, leader of the ministerial negotiating team, favors a more flexible and compromising approach.
The position of Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, attending the talks for the first time in his new capacity, is still unclear, though observers believe his recently announced more liberal approach to the West Bank indicated his desire to reach autonomy with some degree of understanding with local West Bank leaders, thus hopefully undercutting the influence of the Beirut-based Palestine Liberation Organization.
According to reports, Sharon has already begun talks with West Bank Arab notables, but Defense Ministry officials decline to confirm this. The Arab leaders involved are reported to have promised not to disclose the subject of the talks, or even the fact that they have taken place. His recently announced “velvet glove” policy included instructions to the army to press ahead with its campaign to combat PLO terrorism and PLO supporters but not to mistreat the West Bank civilian population.
ADVISES AGAINST SINAI WITHDRAWAL LINKAGE
Burg said in a weekend radio interview he thought every attempt should be made to resume the autonomy talks without any reference or linkage to next April’s deadline for Israel’s final withdrawal from the Sinai.
The talks were halted some 18 months ago. Analysts say they were stopped by Egypt because Sadat hoped that Begin’s Premiership was only a passing phase and he would be replaced by a Labor leader in the Knesset elections last June. He is also thought to have felt that then U.S. President Jimmy Carter could not bring sufficient pressure to bear on Israel during an election year both in the U.S. and in Israel.
Begin is due to hold two private meetings with Sadat during his two days in Alexandria, while the negotiating teams start their talks in a larger ministerial forum. Israel will be represented by Sharon, Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Justice Minister Moshe Nissim, with Burg as head of the team.
Begin is due to return to Jerusalem on Wednesday, while Sharon is expected to stay on in Egypt for a few days more for further talks on specific military aspects of relations between the two countries, specifically the details of the Israeli Sinai withdrawal.
The Cabinet today discussed the Begin-Sadat summit meeting and Cabinet Secretary Arie Naor told reporters afterwards that Israel would submit proposals for renewing the talks. “I can’t tell you if we have any new proposals, but very frankly Israel does have proposals of her own leading to to the resumption of negotiations,” he said. Naor avoided saying Israel had new proposals to present to the Egyptians.
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.
