First Joint Israeli Peace Commission Holds Initial Meeting

The first joint Israeli-Egyptian peace commission held its initial meeting in Sinai today, mainly a ceremonial affair at which a timetable for future meetings was set, an agenda agreed to and a priority list of subjects to be discussed was drawn up. The Israeli delegation, headed by Brig. Gen. Dov Sion, and the Egyptians, led by Brig. Gen. Seif E-Din, met at Tasa and then traveled together to EI Arish.

The joint body is responsible for facilitating the implementation of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty which took effect officially last Wednesday. They will meet alternately at Beersheba and EI Arish, beginning after the latter town is returned to Egyptian sovereignty late next month. Meanwhile, a second preliminary meeting has been scheduled for next Monday in Sinai on the EI Arish-Kantora road.

Another joint committee will begin its deliberations in Tel Aviv shortly to implement the military aspects of the peace treaty, chiefly the details of Israel’s phased withdrawal from Sinai. Defense Minister Ezer Weizman, who returned to Jerusalem Friday after a three-day visit in Cairo, indicated that all was going well and relations between himself and Egyptian officials were excellent.

FINDS DESIRE FOR PEACE IN EGYPT

Weizman met with Egyptian War Minister Kamal Hassan Ali. The Israeli defense chief and his wife were also received by President Anwar Sadat at his retreat in Ismailia. Weizman said it was a “private” visit and would not disclose what he and Sadat discussed. He remarked, however, that “one does not talk only about children and flowers.” He said his talks with other senior Egyptian officials centered on military moves in connection with the first stage of Israel’s with drawal from Sinai and the work of the joint military committee. He said these talks went very well.

Weizman said he found in Egypt an enormous desire for peace despite the difficult problems Egypt now has with its fellow-Arab states which oppose the peace treaty. He said he was convinced that “We shall be able to solve the peace problems just as we were able to solve the war problems.” He stressed the good personal relationship developing with Sadat and the good atmosphere in general which raised his hope that all issues between Israel and Egypt will be solved without too much difficulty.

THE VIEW FROM EGYPT

The most substantive news that emerged from Weizman’s visit was provided by Hassan Ali who spoke to Israeli journalists. The Egyptian War Minister appeared relaxed and made no attempt to evade questions on delicate subjects. He said that Israel’s actions against the Palestinians in south Lebanon would not affect the negotiations with Egypt because they were viewed in Cairo as purely defensive with no thought of gaining territory.

However, he warned that if Israel wanted to avoid an obstacle on the road to normalizing its relations with Egypt and to continue the peace process, it would have to discontinue its settlement activities on the West Bank.

“It will be very difficult for us even to try to persuade the Palestinians to stop shooting and start talking if the settlements are continued,” Hassan Ali said. Asked about the possibility of Egypt being drawn into a war between Israel and its eastern neighbors, he said that would depend upon who started the war. He observed, however, that with the existence of a telephone “hot line” between Sadat and Premier Menachem Begin, “there are sure to be clarifications and everything can be settled.

WARM RECEPTION FOR WEIZMAN

The informal aspects of Weizman’s visit were stressed in the accounts of Israeli correspondents who accompanied him to Cairo; he was received by the public with true warmth; he was applauded by passersby in the streets; and he even toured the narrow streets in the teeming old sections of Cairo.

When asked if it wasn’t dangerous for an Israeli leader to visit such sections, Weizman’s chief bodyguard smiled broadly. “Who would hurt Ezra Weizman in Egypt?” he replied, noting that the Egyptians for some reason, prefer to call him “Ezra.” He said the Israeli Defense Minister is a favorite among Egyptians, from the man-in-the-street to the highest echelons of government.

Weizman visited a synagogue in Alexandria where the tiny congregation sang Hatikva and opened the Ark in his honor. There were tears in their eyes and Weizman was no less moved, journalists reported. The Defense Minister acknowledged that he had made a slip-of-the-tongue when he observed in Cairo last week that it was time for the PLO to stop shooting and start talking. That remark was seen as a signal that Israel may be willing to negotiate with the terrorist organization. But Weizman explained that he was addressing the rejectionist states, Iraq, Jordan and Syria, not the PLO.