Israeli Premier Menachem Begin today rejected reports that President Carter has snubbed him by refusing to meet with him here tomorrow. Arriving at Kennedy International Airport with his wife, Aliza, Begin told the press that there is no “snag” between him and Carter.
The Israeli Premier noted that he had “cordial exchanges” with Carter during the last two days. Begin said he had not asked for a meeting with the President, noting that he has had five meetings with Carter already.
Begin also said that the negotiations between Israel and Egypt in Washington have a good chance to succeed although a few difficulties still have to be overcome. He noted that he would be meeting with Secretary of State Cyrus Vance at 10 a.m. tomorrow on the peace treaty as well as other U.S.-Israeli issues. He expressed the hope the peace treaty would be signed Dec. 9, the day before the Nobel Peace Prize will be presented in Oslo.
The Premier was welcomed at the airport by Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, Defense Minister Ezer Weizman and Ambassador Simcha Dinitz, who left the Blair House talks to brief Begin here, and Yehuda Blum, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations.
(In Washington, the State Department announced officially before Begin arrived in New York, that the Premier would meet with Vance. Vance will be accompanied by Alfred Atherton, the special U.S. Ambassador for the Middle East, who has been in charge of the U.S. delegation for most of the negotiations at Blair House. The White House and State Department had said yesterday that there were no plans for either Carter or Vance to meet with Begin who arrived in New York today.
(It was understood here that the change in plans was made by the Carter Administration in order to avoid criticism that the U.S. was snubbing the Israeli Premier. Carter will be in New York tomorrow for election campaigning and will be only blocks away from Begin. State Department spokesman Hodding Carter, when asked why they will not meet despite the close proximity, said that both Carter and Begin will be in New York “to do certain things that have been prearranged.” He said “there has been no request for a meeting” from Begin. “There has been no turn down of a meeting. This issue has not arisen.”)
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