President Carter arrived here today to a tumultuous reception on his “new mission” for an Egyptian-Israeli treaty and both he and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat included the Palestinians in their calls for a “comprehensive peace” in the Middle East.
The two leaders, speaking from prepared statements at the Qubba Palace where they held their opening discussion, were welcomed by what Carter himself spoke of as “hundreds of thousands” of Egyptians who lined the boulevards along a 15-kilometer route from the Cairo Airport to the Palace.
Addressing Carter, Sadat said that in “a just and comprehensive peace our Palestine brothers must realize their notional rights and regain their freedom.” As a grim-faced Carter listened in the presence of Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Sadat, the Egyptian President said that “never before has on American President been so firm in his devotion to peace” and referred to his “historic and courageous mission.”
Responding to Sadat at one point in an extemporaneous comment, Carter said that in the “car together” on the way from the airport, Sadat and he “repledged ourselves not to disappoint” the people in Egypt, “in Israel, among the Palestinians,” to bring about a state of peace in the area.
Carter said that Sadat’s “electrifying” visit to Jerusalem in November, 1977 “fully committed himself to a just and lasting peace.” At Camp David last September, Carter said, Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and he had agreed to a comprehensive peace and “outlined” an Egyptian-Israeli peace. (See separate story for excerpts of Carter’s remarks.)
PEACE IS THE DOMINANT THEME
Ironically, President and Mrs. Carter, accompanied by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Defense Secretary Harold Brown, arrived here in the midst of Egypt’s celebration of “Syrian Day;” on observance of the ill-fated three year union of Egypt and Syria in 1958-61. Today, Syria is hostile to Egypt because of Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem and Camp David.
Government offices, schools and the major business establishments were closed, enabling masses of Egyptians to welcome the Carters, in a colorful demonstration. American and Egyptian flogs lined the streets, banners and placards in English and Arabic, many showing the photos of the two Presidents, were dominated by the word “peace.” Many of them spelled the President’s name with the letter “K.”
Security measures were evident everywhere from the airport along the route of the motorcade to the Palace and at important buildings downtown. The motorcade route saw soldiers standing on both sides about 50 feet apart. At the Nile Hilton Hotel where the White House had set up press headquarters, soldiers with fixed bayonets and automatic weapons stood guard.
The U.S. press corps, numbering about 200,is being housed at the Hilton, Some 400 other media personnel from other countries are also in Cairo to cover the proceedings. They will go to Jerusalem Saturday for the visit there by the Carters starting Saturday night.
Before leaving Washington last night for the 13-hour journey to Cairo with a refueling stop at the Azores, the President spoke of an Egyptian-Israeli treaty as “an indispensable step toward the brooder comprehensive peace we all seek.”
He said, “For the first time in a generation, peace is within reach. Our negotiations are based on the idea that peace can only be achieved when we meet the legitimate needs of all who are affected by the conflict. Real peace will not come with a single treaty — important as that would be, “the President said in reference to the Israeli-Egyptian proceeding. He said he was going to Egypt and Israel with “hope tempered by realism.”
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