A Likud Leader Blames Carter for Egypt’s Hardened Position on Treaty

Mk Abraham Sharir, Chairman of the Likud parliamentary faction, claimed today that President Carter was responsible for Egypt’s hardened position on a peace treaty with Israel and warned that if the stalemated negotiations are not resumed within 2-3 weeks, the Middle East will embark “on a long crisis, the end of which is hard to foresee.”

Addressing a press conference at the Israeli Consulate here, Sharir said the Egyptians hardened their position as a result of President Carter’s “extreme” siding with the Arab cause. He said the U. S. could play a positive role, in reviving the peace talks by taking more balanced Positions between the parties. But Sharir, a member of Likud’s liberal Party wing, said nonetheless that the feeling in the Knesset is that a breakthrough will soon be made in the stalled talks.

Asked by reporters to what this feeling could be attributed, Sharir said that Egypt and Israel both went too far in search of peace to go bock now. He noted that Israel has agreed to demands for changes in Article IV of the draft treaty calling for a review of the military aspects after five years. But he said that Israel would not agree to a target date for autonomy on the West Bank and Gaza Ship or to changes in Article VI the priority of obligations clause.

The Israeli parliamentarian, who is an a two week visit to meet American media representatives and U.S. officials, warned that recent developments in the Middle East, notably the crisis in Iran allowed the Soviet Union to increase its influence in the region. He predicted that Saudi Arabia will be the next Middle Eastern country to face turmoil, this despite the massive American military build-up there. “To weaken Israel now will be a grave mistake on the part of the U.S., Sharir said.