Israelis Are Not Offering Any New Concessions to the Syrians

The Cabinet held a four-hour special session on disengagement this afternoon followed by a 90-minute meeting of the Israeli and American negotiating teams in which Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger participated. A terse communique released after the Cabinet session said that reports were heard from the ministers who have been negotiating with the Secretary of State and were followed by discussions. No decisions were announced, leading observers to conclude that the care-taker government is offering no new concessions to the Syrians.

No statements were issued following this evening’s meeting between the Israeli and American negotiators. As he emerged, Kissinger was asked if he expected to reach an agreement before the end of the week, to which he replied sharply, “I make no speculations about this.” Israelis who attended the meeting sounded no more hopeful. One highly placed Israeli source admitted that there had been a “worsening of the situation” but added, “There is still room for hope.”

Apparently the Cabinet has refused to consider an Israeli withdrawal from the strategic hills surrounding the Golan Heights town of Kuneitra. Israel’s offer, which Kissinger brought to Damascus last week. included a partial withdrawal from Kuneitra and two nearby villages but retention of the hills to safeguard Israeli settlements on the Golan Heights.

Kissinger returned from Damascus last night with Syria’s further demands. A senior U.S. official in the Secretary’s party said tonight that the concessions demanded by the Syrians were much smaller than those already made by Israel. He said the U.S. did not expect Israel to make concessions regarding the hills and did not believe Israel would agree even to hand them over to a United Nations force. However, he put the chances for a successful agreement at a little better than even and said the main obstacle was the disengagement line.

SUBTLE. INTENSE FORM OF PRESSURE

Kissinger met with Israeli leaders for three hours last night on his return from Damascus and had an hour-long meeting with Premier Golda Meir and the two negotiating teams this morning before the Cabinet convened. Neither side made any statement but observers here believe Kissinger urged Israel to offer new concessions to keep up the momentum of disengagement and save the talks from deadlock. Last night’s meeting was particularly grueling. informed sources indicated. Kissinger warned that if no new concessions were forthcoming, his efforts were doomed, the sources said.

The fact that the Secretary was in Jerusalem not Damascus–awaiting offers from the Israeli government rather than from Syrian President Hafez Assad was regarded here as a most subtle but intense form of pressure. Reporters who accompanied Kissinger to Damascus said they were told that the territorial issue was still the nub of the dispute and that Kissinger believes once that is solved, everything else will fall into place.

Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated throughout the day in front of the Premier’s Office protesting any withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Ministers entering and leaving the building where the Cabinet met were jeered by the crowd. Most Cabinet ministers refused to make any comment after the session. Health Minister Victor Shemtov told reporters, however, that he didn’t think a disengagement accord would be reached this week but there were still chances for one at a later stage.

Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and Chief of Staff Gen, Mordechai Gur assured demonstrators this morning that Israel would not sacrifice the settlements for disengagement. But Dayan said that Israel would have to give up some territory in the interests of disengagement with Syria, Just as it did in Sinai to reach a disengagement accord with Egypt. Information Minister Shimon Peres also met with demonstrators this morning and urged them to refrain from derogatory references to Kissinger. The protestors had been chanting, “Kissinger, go home.” Likud leaders Menachem Beigin and Shmuel Tamir led a delegation to express solidarity with the demonstrators.

Kissinger said on his arrival from Damascus last night that “some progress” had been made though no agreement was reached. He said he was prepared to continue his efforts “as long as there is hope of making progress on this round.” The Secretary is due to fly back to Damascus tomorrow and it appeared today that he faces several more rounds of negotiations before further progress can be made.