Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s National Security Advisor, while saying today that the Palestine Liberation Organization is not part of the negotiating process in the Middle East did not explicitly rule out the PLO from future participation.
Appearing on CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation” shortly after his return with the President from their nine-day trip abroad, Brzezinski emphasized that “moderate Palestinians must be involved in the ultimate resolution” of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He described “moderate” to mean willing to participate in the negotiating process on the same basis as all other participants, including acceptance of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 as well as all the progress that has already been made by the participants.
Asked whether the PLO had ruled itself out as Carter has said, Brzezinski replied: “We know the PLO is not in the process because it has not taken a moderate position.” He said the PLO’s intransigence” has put it outside the negotiating framework. Asked about a quotation in a French publication quoting him as saying, “Bye, Bye, PLO.” Brzezinski said he did not remember using that expression.
But when he was pressed on whether an effective peace could be established without the PLO, Brzezinski replied that “we ought not to be in a position to say if the PLO is or is not in the process.” He said that U.S. should not be the one to define who is in the process or the nature of the political rights that are to be negotiated. “We are not a directly affected party, we are not a belligerent and it doesn’t behoove us to be precise,” he said.
SAYS ISRAEL SHOWS GOOD WILL
Brzezinski said he thought Israel is approaching “with good will” the matter of establishing broad principles on which the negotiations could be guided. He foresaw “a complicated, complex, frequently painful, process ahead” in the negotiations. But he predicted 1978 would be “a very significant year for progress and resolution.” He said 1977 was one of “giant progress.”
On the issue of Israeli settlements in northern Sinai, Brzezinski said it might complicate peace negotiations. He said such a move by Israel “might be a sign of poor judgment” and hoped Israel would decide against it. His remarks came just before the Israeli Cabinet’s decision on this issue was made public.
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