Allon Due in Washington Next Month at Kissinger’s Invitation; Talks Will Include UN Mideast Debate

The State Department said yesterday that Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon will be in Washington Jan. 7 and 8 for meetings with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger at Kissinger’s “invitation.” They are expected to discuss the Security Council’s forthcoming Middle East debate to open Jan. 12 which Israel has said it will boycott because the Palestine Liberation Organization has been invited. The U.S. is making strenuous efforts to persuade Israel to reconsider its decision. Israel, for its part, believes the U.S. can still veto PLO participation in the proceedings.

State Department spokesman Robert Funseth, who made the official announcement of Allon’s visit, said “We look forward to the talks which are in keeping with our close ties with Israel and our consultations about the forthcoming Security Council debate.” Allon’s intention to visit Washington was known immediately after the Security Council’s decision three weeks ago to hold a Middle East debate.

The Israeli Foreign Minister was expected to be in the capital only one day. The fact that Kissinger’s “invitation” is for two days indicated that the discussions are expected to be more detailed than originally planned and may possibly include a meeting of Allon with President Ford.

Funseth also disclosed that Kissinger’s 45-minute meeting late Tuesday with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly F. Dobrynin–at Kissinger’s request–included a discussion of the Middle East along with Angola and the SALT talks.

Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs Alfred Atherton has returned from the Middle East where he visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Israel. The State Department made no announcement of the results of his trip. Previously, it was reported that Atherton’s Middle East junket was to hold consultations on both general and bilateral matters in the countries he visited.