Israel still wants United States mediation despite its dispute with the Carter Administration, Premier Menachem Begin said today. He told reporters at an impromptu press conference outside his office that he was “looking forward” to Assistant Secretary of State Alfred Atherton resuming his shuttle mission soon between Jerusalem and Cairo.
In a markedly more conciliatory tone than that which he characterized the Carter Administration in his official Cabinet statement yesterday, Begin said that Secretary of State Cyrus Vance’s act of “taking sides” in favor of Egypt at his State Department conference last Friday had not changed Israel’s attitude about the Atherton mission. “We welcome his mission,” he said. “We will do our best to help him in the fulfillment of it.”
But while his tone was conciliatory, Begin did not back down from the content of yesterday’s sharp Cabinet communique. Every word of that communique was the truth, the Premier insisted. Vance had “deeply hurt” Israel and it had been “natural” for Israel to respond in the way it had. He was sure, however, that U.S.-Israeli friendship was firm enough for this difference of opinion not to harm it, Begin stressed.
The U.S. has now undertaken the specific task of seeking, through Atherton, agreement on a declaration of principles, and this was to the good, Begin said. Atherton would be a “welcome guest” in Jerusalem where he will probably arrive Feb. 21 or 22 after first visiting Cairo.
Asked about the Sinai settlements, Begin refused to state categorically that Israel would prefer to lose the chance for peace rather than vacate them. He merely reiterated forcefully that both President Carter and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had been made aware from the start of Israel’s intention, expressed in its peace proposals, to keep those settlements–within a United Nations zone–under Egyptian sovereignty, and with a “self-defense force” to protect them.
Begin insisted that Carter had not voiced any “reservations” on this point during their December Washington talks, and that the American President’s overall reaction to the Israeli proposals had been “positive.” He indicated that he had available, yet-undisclosed quotations from Carter during that meeting in the White House which would bear out his contention.
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