Cabinet Approves U.S. Position

The Cabinet expressed its appreciation to President Carter and Secretary of State Edmund Muskie today for their firm opposition to a proposed new Middle East initiative by the Western European nations and the President’s unequivocal warning that the U.S. would veto any move in the United Nations Security Council to alter or discard Resolution 242.

Carter declared in an interview yesterday inaugurating a new all-news cable television network, that the U.S. would exercise its veto if its European allies or any other nation attempted an initiative that would damage the Camp David peace process which is based on Resolution 242. Carter also predicted that the stalled autonomy talks between Egypt, Israel and the U.S. would be resumed shortly.

The President repeated his veto threat today on the CBS television program, “Meet The Press.” The basis for progress toward peace in the Middle East “has got to be” the resolution and the Camp David accords “which is almost like a Bible now,” he said.

Premier Menachem Begin is expected to state Israel’s position on the European initiative in a statement to the Knesset tomorrow. He will also clarify Israel’s position on the future of Jerusalem and his proposed Cabinet changes following the resignation of Defense Minister Ezer Weizman on May 26.

Israel fears that the European initiative, being pressed by France, Britain and West Germany, will confer legitimacy on the Palestine Liberation Organization and support a Palestinian state on grounds that the Palestinians are entitled to self determination Carter’s strong objections to the initiative were especially welcome here.

EEC TO MEET JUNE 11-12

The initiative is expected to take shape when the leaders of the nine member states of the European Economic Community (EEC) meet in Venice June 11-12 to discuss action on the Middle East situation. Carter will meet with them in Vienna later in the month. The Europeans have been saying for some time that they would press for changes in the peace process launched at Camp David if the autonomy talks failed to yield noticeable progress by the May 26 target date. The talks were suspended last month by President Anwar Sadat of Egypt on grounds that Israel’s positions on autonomy were holding up progress.

But Sadat expressed hope over the weekend that the negotiations would be resumed shortly. Carter said yesterday that he expected Israel and Egypt to start talking again within two weeks. “My prediction to you is without very much more delay we will be back at the negotiating table making progress again toward the Mideast peace treaty on that (Camp David) basis and full autonomy for the West Bank and Gaza, “he told the Cable News Service.

He said he did not expect a European move for several weeks but “We have a vote power that we can exercise if necessary, to prevent the Camp David process from being destroyed or subverted and I would not hesitate to use it if necessary,” he declared. He acknowledged the wide differences between Egypt and Israel over the nature of autonomy and other matters and observed, “These kinds of things are extremely hard to resolve but we are down to what you might call the nitty gritty now. The issues are clearly defined.”

Carter said the Europeans had the “same hope that we do that the issue of autonomy on the West Bank, the resolution of the Palestinian problem, the provision of security for Israel, a permanent peace in the Middle East (be) comprehensively negotiated with Israel’s neighbors. We have the some goals.”

CARTER WARNS EUROPEANS

He noted that be would be attending a seven nation European economic summit meeting in Vienna on June 22 and that the EEC leaders will convene in Venice ten days earlier. “There will certainly, almost certainly be no action by them before that date. We are encouraging the European allies not to intervene in the (Israeli-Egyptian) negotiations as long as we are meeting and are making progress toward a Mideast peace settlement, “he said. He warned however that “Even if they do come in, we will not permit in the United Nations any action that would destroy the sanctity of and the present form of UN (Security Council Resolution) 242.”

Carter’s strong statement of his position come after visiting French Foreign Minister Jean Francois-Poncet told reporters in Washington Friday that the European allies would take a new initiative in the Middle East very shortly to meet Palestinian aspirations, despite American objections. He said the Europeans would act because they felt that the American mediated autonomy talks had broken down. He said that while the specific language of the European initiative has not yet been decided, “it will be and must be a balanced approach” that should provide for Israel’s security and for Palestinian self-determination, a term generally interpreted as the right of the Palestinians to have their own state on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Poncet met with reporters after he conferred with Muskie. The Secretary of State reportedly urged against a European initiative in the Mideast and insisted that the U.S. did not feel the autonomy talks were dead.

The Carter Administration had a similar reaction to proposals by British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington in Washington last month. The British diplomat urged the U.S. to accept the idea of a European conference to alter Resolution 242. He was reportedly told by the Administration that the Camp David formulas based on 242 provided the only tangible progress in the peace negotiations. (By Gil Sedan)

CORRECTION

A Jerusalem dispatch in the May 14 Daily News Bulletin stated erroneously that the Knesset had passed on first reading a government bill asserting that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The bill approved was in fact a private members bill presented by MK Geula Cohen of the opposition Tehiya faction. Interior Minister Yosef Burg said at the time that the government intends to introduce its own bill to the same effect shortly which will be incorporated into the basic law, Israel’s quasi constitution. The government’s bill however has yet to be drafted and has not been submitted to the Knesset.