Church Agrees with Carter on Role for PLO at Geneva Conference

Sen. Frank Church of Idaho, the second ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, agrees with President Carter that the Palestine Liberation Organization should be a party in a Geneva conference when it recognizes Israel’s “right to exist” but he said a U.S. threat to reduce aid to Israel would have “a disastrous result.”

Church, appearing yesterday on ABC-TV “Issues and Answers,” following his trip to Cuba where he sought to mend Cuban-American relations, also criticized the Carter Administration for its public pronouncements on the Middle East and urged it to cease “public statements” and act “privately” to influence the course of Middle East events.

Asked whether the “totally unyielding position by the Israeli government disturbs you as an old Israeli supporter in the Senate,” Church said: “Of course I am disturbed about it. But I am not prepared to say at this point that we will fail in our effort to bring Israel and the Arab countries to the negotiating table. I think that ought to be the American role and that we should leave the negotiations to the parties and not attempt prior to the negotiations to write the blueprint for a settlement. And there has been too much talk about what the settlement should consist of, I think, and this has been a further complicating factor.”

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Questioned about his reaction to the Carter Administration’s suggestions that Israel should return almost all the occupied territories and be amenable to a Palestinian homeland, Church replied that the withdrawal and homeland “elements may necessarily be part of a final agreement, but I think it is better to discuss the details of the agreement, including those components, privately, that public discussion tents to harden positions on both sides and makes more difficult the very conference that we hope to set in motion.”

“What would be the reaction of Israeli supporters in the Congress and in the Senate, including yourself,” he was asked, “if the Carter Administration felt it was time to talk tough and act tough and to threaten a reduction in aid and take that course publicly.”

“Oh, I think a public statement to that effect would have a disastrous result because it would immediately cause the Israelis to say ‘never, never, never’ and the hope that we have of bringing both parties together at Geneva would evaporate.” Church added that “my position is with the President,” when asked to state his view on the Begin government’s reaction to the U.S. proposal that the PLO should be involved in the Geneva talks if it recognizes Israel’s right to exist. The Senator did not elaborate on his answer.