Israel Told Brown Over-stepped Instructions when He Criticized Israel’s Oil Drilling Operation

Official sources reported today that the Israeli Embassy in Washington has received clarification from the State Department on the strong criticism of Israel’s oil drilling in the Gulf of Suez voiced by Department spokesman Frederick Z. Brown at yesterday’s press briefing. The Embassy was advised by State Department aides that Brown had overstepped his briefing instructions, the sources said.

They also said there was reason to hope that the U.S. Administration would seek to balance Brown’s remarks, possibly during the visit of Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance who arrives here tonight. Brown had said, in reply to reporters’ questions, that Israel’s oil explorations in the Gulf of Suez violated international law and could hamper Middle East peace negotiations.

Israeli officials were disturbed by this new source of friction with the U.S. on the eve of Vance’s arrival but apparently the matter has been laid to rest for the time being. One Israeli official termed Brown’s remark that Israel’s search for oil “complicates the achievement of a settlement” as “a vast overstatement, out of all proportion to the facts.”

VANCE EMPHASIZES TRUST, CONFIDENCE

Meanwhile, Vance and his entourage, including his chief Middle East strategist. Assistant Secretary of State Alfred L. Atherton, arrived here this evening. At Ben Gurion Airport, Vance spoke of the “enduring trust and confidence” in the relationship between the United States and Israel. He had brought a “simple message,” he said; that the U.S. was “convinced” that this “trust and confidence” must be a “fundamental, underlying” part of the search for peace upon which the parties were embarked. Vance underlined the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security.

No formal schedule has been arranged for Vance for tonight. His political talks and courtesy visits will all take place tomorrow, starting with a private breakfast with Premier Yitzhak Rabin.

Reliable sources said Vance’s talks with Israeli leaders would concentrate on enunciating and clarifying positions rather than on any substantive negotiations at this stage. Officials here are concerned about Vance’s stated intention to test the position of the Palestinian leadership in its so-called shift toward moderation. The officials are not raising any objections publicly but are taking every opportunity to reinforce Israel’s official position that the PLO cannot participate in the negotiating process.