Observers here called the Security Council vote on the Middle East today the worst diplomatic defeat for Egypt since 1967. The Council review which ended after the United States veto of a resolution was the first general debate on the Middle East since 1967.
Observers said that Egypt did not want a U.S. veto when it first requested the debate. The Egyptians launched a major diplomatic effort in world capitals in support of their views but gradually moderated their demands for sanctions against Israel and total withdrawal. The fate of Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed el-Zayyat was also speculated upon by observers since he had led his nation’s unsuccessful diplomatic efforts.
Meanwhile, after the meeting adjourned, Israeli Ambassador Yosef Tekoah met with Secretary General Kurt Waldheim at Waldheim’s request to discuss the UN official’s upcoming trip to the Mideast. Waldheim leaves tomorrow for Eastern Europe and is expected to go to the Middle East at the end of Aug. He will not be accompanied by his special representative. Dr. Gunnar V. Jarring, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned.
U.S. Ambassador John Scali said after the Council meeting that if the resolution had been adopted it would have jeopardized Waldheim’s mission because he would not have been accepted in Jerusalem. Tekoah said during the Council debate yesterday that adopting the resolution would have made Waldheim’s trip futile.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
