President Carter said today that he was “dissatisfied” and “disappointed” by the length of time it is taking Israel and Egypt to reach a peace treaty but declared that “we’re certainly not going to give up on the effort” however difficult, to help the two sides reach an agreement.
Replying to a question at a press conference this afternoon, Carter said the present difficulties were a “temporary setback” and are “no more serious” or of “greater concern” than those encountered at Camp David. The President said he has not changed his assessment of why it is proving more difficult to achieve a peace treaty than it was to reach agreement at Camp David.
He noted that, unlike Camp David, the present negotiations are not being conducted directly by the heads of states. He said “we are negotiating and communicating” with both Israel and Egypt on a permanent basis. He remarked that “the reason for what optimism I keep is that I know for certain” that Premier Menachem Begin of Israel and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and their peoples want a peace treaty.
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