Expect Agreement to Be Worked out with Egypt on Disengagement Soon

Knowledgeable sources said today that they expected an agreement would be worked out with Egypt at the Geneva disengagement talks within the next few weeks. The talks were to resume late today after having been recessed for five days for “consultations” during the period of the Israeli elections. The sources said they expected the talks would move next week from “definition of principles” to a concrete and substantive stage.

Definition of principles means agreement on what is involved, in general terms, in the disengagement: Israel’s evacuation of the west bank of the Suez Canal; Israel’s withdrawal from the canal’s east bank; thinning out of remaining Egyptian forces on the east bank; connection if any between the disengagement and subsequent Israeli pullbacks. Once having defined and agreed upon these principles, the two sides would move next week into the concrete bargaining stage: How deep is withdrawal to be? How much of the Egyptian east bank force is to be pulled back: What is to be the strength of remaining Egyptian forces? What sort of linkage, if any, between this and subsequent pullbacks?

It is clear already that the disengagement being negotiated will be rather a large concept involving complete evacuation of the west bank and major realignment on the Sinai, with the interposition of UNEF between the two forces in Sinai. There is very definite interest on the part of both superpowers and of Egypt to reach quick agreement on disengagement.

Thus Israel will be concerned that its own intricate and possibly drawn-out process of coalition forming is not permitted to stand in the way of progress at the Geneva talks. On the other hand, some well-placed observers here feel that no final decisions could be taken at Geneva before a new Cabinet is set up here–or at least before such a Cabinet was well on the way to shaping up.

UNCERTAIN MANDATE FORMS TALKS’ BACKGROUND

Meanwhile, Israel’s delegates left today for Geneva. Gen, Mordechai Gur and Col. Dov Sion refused to make any statements prior to their departure. The El Al jet in which they left also carried Lt. Gen. Ensio Siilasvuo of Finland, commander of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) who serves as chairman of the Geneva disengagement talks. The talks will resume in the aftermath of the Israeli elections which left

The cease-fire problem was discussed in Jerusalem last night by Gen. Siilasvuo, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and Chief of Staff Gen. David Elazar. The UNEF commander flew here yesterday from Cairo. A communique issued after the meeting did not mention the disengagement talks as having been on the agenda but it was learned on good authority that they were mentioned in connection with daily shooting incidents on the Egyptian front. Siilasvuo reportedly informed Dayan that the Egyptians were not prepared to observe the cease-fire completely as long as Israeli forces continued to fortify their positions. But the violations, on their present scale, will not interfere with the disengagement talks, it was noted after the meeting.