Finance Minister Simcha Ehrlich predicted today that a peace treaty with Egypt will be signed soon because “only two or three points” that are “not so significant” remain to be settled.
Addressing the Jerusalem Economic Club, Ehrlich criticized the United States by implication for the way that it has handled the outstanding issues in dispute. He spoke of “haste by a certain party–not Israel–which has been ill-advised.” The Finance Minister also warned that the conclusion of a peace treaty would bring “three tough years in economic terms” for Israel. “The central questions,” he said, are “is it worth it, and will Israel pull through the three lean years? My answer to both is a resounding yes.”
(In Washington, the State Department said today that there are no new developments to report with respect to efforts to resume peace treaty negotiations between Israel and Egypt. Replying to reporters’ questions, the Department’s chief spokesman, Hodding Carter, said “We have nothing at this point to tell you about responses we have gotten from Cairo or Jerusalem.”)
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