An Israeli-Syrian disengagement agreement was announced tonight simultaneously in Jerusalem. Damascus and Washington. Israeli Information Minister Shimon Peres announced a few minutes after 9 p.m. local time that the Israeli government confirmed that a disengagement accord has been achieved with Syria. Premier Golda Meir’s caretaker Cabinet went into session at 6 p.m. after twice postponing a meeting originally scheduled for 3 p.m. to consider last minute clarifications received from the Syrian capital.
(President Nixon announced the accord in a brief appearance in the White House press room shortly after 1 p.m. Washington time. He said the pact paved the way for a permanent peace settlement in the Middle East. See separate story.) (President Hafez Assad of Syria announced the agreement in Damascus as a “first step” toward the withdrawal of Israel from all Arab territories.)
Tonight’s announcement here was limited to a statement that a disengagement accord had been reached. Details of the agreement will be presented to the Knesset tomorrow morning by Premier Meir. The government reportedly asked Knesset Speaker Israel Yeshayahu to convene parliament at 9 a.m. local time tomorrow to hear a statement on disengagement. (Foreign news sources said the terms of the agreement would be announced Friday when the accord is to be signed formally to Geneva.)
Israelis were glued to their radio and TV set throughout the evening awaiting the expected announcement that disengagement had finally been achieved. The greatest suspense was among Israel troops on the Golan Heights where fighting continued today without regard to the momentous political developments taking shape. A military spokesman announced in Tel Aviv that Israel Air Force Jets attacked terrorist installation in southern Lebanon for a half hour beginning at 4:10 p.m. local time today and returned safety to their bases.
U.S Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, the man credited by all concerned with single-handedly achieving the “impossible” agreement after 32 days of arduous personal diplomacy in the Middle East, returned from his final visit to Damascus late last night. He met with senior Israel leaders at 2 a.m. After a few hours sleep, they held another meeting after which the full Cabinet convened for a progress report. An official communique issued before noon said that “a few details still remained to be clarified.” During his final hours in Damascus, Kissinger met with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko who was also visiting the Syrian capital.
The clarifications requested by Israel were apparently being obtained by Kissinger’s top Middle East side. Undersecretary of State Joseph J. Sisco, who remained behind in Damascus for further discussions with Syrian leaders today.
The development that apparently persuaded Israel to forego its original demand for a Syrian commitment to curb terrorist activities from its territory was reportedly a promise by Kissinger that the U.S. would give Israel a written guarantee that in the event that terrorists, either singly or in groups, infiltrate Israeli territory from Syria, Israeli forces will be allowed to fight them and cross into Syria in their pursuit.
U.S. WILL ASSIST ISRAEL POLITICALLY
The U.S. would not regard such action by Israel as a violation of the disengagement accord and will assist Israel politically under the guarantee. Kissinger was quoted as saying that Assad refused to guarantee Israel against terrorist incursions because “If I decide to renew the war I will not do it through terrorists.”
The issue was the subject of long debate in the Cabinet where some ministers demanded that Israel make the anti-terrorist clause an ultimatum. Only three ministers–Moshe Kol of the Independent Liberal Party and Yosef Burg and Yitzhak Rafael of the National Religious Party–supported that line. Police Minister Shlomo Hillel abstained. The rest of the Cabinet accepted the U.S. guarantee.
ACCORD TERMS INDICATED
Although nothing official has been announced by either side, the disengagement accord reportedly includes the following: a disengagement line extending roughly from Mt. Hermon through the Golan Heights town of Kuneitra to the southeastern Golan around Rafid; a buffer zone between 1.5-3.5 miles wide on either side of the disengagement line separating the Israelis and Syrians; a UN force to be known officially as a “United Nations Disengagement Force” will police the buffer zone with 1250 troops; limited forces zones 5.5 miles wide will be established on both sides of the buffer zone.
Each side will be permitted no more than 6000 troops, 75 tanks and 35 short range artillery pieces in its zone. Beyond the first limited forces zones, second zones of 5.5 miles width will be established in which each side will be permitted 450 tanks but no long range artillery or anti-aircraft missiles. Israel radio reported this afternoon that two Red Cross aircraft and medical teams were standing by in Geneva to commence a prisoner-of-war exchange as soon as the disengagement accord is signed.
The U.S. and the Soviet Union were expected to be co-signers in their capacities as co-chairmen of the Geneva peace conference. According to an unconfirmed report, the Israeli delegation to Geneva will be headed by Brig. Gen. Herzl Shafir, chief of Army Headquarters, and will include Meir Rosen, legal advisor to the Foreign Ministry; and senior army officers.
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