Israel and Egypt Resume Talks on Disputed Taba Region

Israeli-Egyptian negotiations over the disputed Taba region, resumed yesterday after a long hiatus, continued today and adjourned with no announcement of when the next session will be held.

The talks, which Egypt broke off after Israel invaded Lebanon last June, were held in Ismailia, an Egyptian city on the Suez Canal. According to the Egyptians, they focussed on interim arrangements for the 700-meter strip of beach on the Gulf of Aqaba which both countries claim. Israel Radio said today that in secret contacts before the talks were resumed, Egypt had agreed to discuss normalization of relations with Israel at future sessions.

The Israelis are seriously concerned over the freeze in the normalization process because of Israel’s actions in Lebanon. The Israeli Ambassador in Cairo, Moshe Sasson, described a remark by Egypt’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Boutros Ghali that a “cold peace” exists between Israel and Egypt as “very unfortunate.” He said Ghali’s remark during a visit to Rome this week, did not contribute to an improvement in relations.

A spokesman for the Egyptian delegation at Taba said Egypt has asked Israel to allow members of the multinational force in Sinai to enter the disputed region as part of an interim agreement. Members of the Israeli delegation refused to talk to reporters.

ISRAELI-EGYPTIAN COOPERATION CITED

In another development, Gen. Haim Erez, commander of the southern area, said Egypt was cooperating with Israel in tracking down unidentified persons who laid mines in the Negev last week which killed five Bedouins and damaged two vehicles. According to Erez, tracks were found leading across the Egyptian border.

Egypt is also helping Israel trace hundreds of stolen cars smuggled from Israel into Sinai for sale in Egypt, Erez said. The recovered vehicles will be returned to their owners.