The ninth round of talks on Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip began today at the seaside town of Scheveningen near The Hague under tight security.
The talks between the United States, Israel and Egypt were being held on the third floor of the luxurious Kuthous Hotel overlooking the North Sea. No one was allowed above the first floor of the hotel. The beach behind the hotel has been closed to the public and policemen with dogs are patrolling outside of the building while marksmen are posted on the roof.
The talks, which are expected to end Friday, began today with Sol Linowitz, President Carter’s special envoy for Middle East negotiations, and Egyptian Prime Minister Mustapha Khalil present. Interior Minister Yosef Burg, head of the Israeli delegation, arrived late in the day.
Dutch Foreign Minister Christoph van der Klaauw, in an interview yesterday with the leading Dutch daily, “Handelsblad,” said if the autonomy talks do not succeed by the May 26 deadline, the nine members of the European Economic Community may take the initiative to amend Security Council Resolution 242. Lord Carrington, the British Foreign Secretary, has proposed amending the resolution to give the Palestinians political status.
Asked about Iraq’s sudden decision cancelling his official trip to Baghdad because The Netherlands was hosting the autonomy talks, van der Klaauw said that he had explained to the Iraqi Ambassador that Holland’s role in the talks was “passive” since it was simply agreeing to an American request to have the talks here.
The Iraqi government abruptly cancelled a scheduled visit to Baghdad by van der Klaauw earlier this week to protest Holland’s agreement to host the tripartite talks between Israel. Egypt and the U.S. on Palestinian autonomy. Van der Klaauw was about to leave for Baghdad last Saturday when he was informed by the Iraqi Ambassador that his visit had been “postponed indefinitely.” The Iraqis said they want further information on Holland’s present position on the Middle East conflict before the visit can take place.
Van der Klaauw’s visit, at the invitation of the Iraqi Foreign Minister, was intended to strengthen economic relations between Holland and Iraq. He also hoped to further normalize relations between Holland and other Arab countries which reached on all-time low after the Yom Kippur War. In 1975. Max van der Stoel, who was Foreign Minister in the previous Labor government, visited Egypt and Tunisia. Van der Klaauw has already visited Syria, Jordan and Morocco. Holland is providing development did to Iraq, mainly in the fields of irrigation cattle breeding, agriculture and transport.
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