Premier Menachem Begin said today that he does not plan to fix a target date for the autonomy program on the West Bank and Gaza Strip and he will not let the pressures of time dictate the mood of the forthcoming negotiations with Egypt. Begin made his remarks in an Independence Day address on Israel Radio.
“We know exactly what we are doing,” he said. “We will convene the 11-man committee on autonomy and discuss autonomy itself as well as our rights on the West Bank and needed security arrangements. After we decide, we will not approve the plan in secret but we will publish it before we meet with the Egyptians on the matter. We will also present it to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee.” The Premier added that difficulties in the approaching negotiations with Egypt are only “natural,” but said he was confident that they could be overcome.
Begin noted that he plans to take Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, Defense Minister Ezer Weizman and 42 Israeli war wounded with him to the forthcoming meeting with President Anwar Sadat at EI Arish. The Israeli veterans would meet with Egyptian war wounded during the visit, he said.
He added that Israel has asked the U.S. to consult with it on the development of any U.S.-PLO relations. He observed that if diplomatic relations between the two were formed, it would be a “black day” for Israel.
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