Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger met for 90 minutes with Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz at the State Department today and then left for New York to attend a special session of the United Nations General Assembly on international economic and energy problems and to hold a round of meetings with diplomats of several nations on the Middle East. State Department sources indicated.
After the meeting, Dinitz told newsmen that he thought there was room for negotiations with Syria. He added, however, “Just because it (the Syrian proposal) is not exactly the same as before, it does not solve the problem.” He said that Israel was determined not to give up any part of the Golan Heights and the matter had not even been raised by Secretary Kissinger.
Dinitz described his talk with the Secretary as “long and constructive.” He said his government expected Kissinger to return to the Middle East toward the end of the month to resume his “shuttle diplomacy” between the Israeli and Arab capitals. Asked if he thought the renewed fighting on the Golan Heights would hurt prospects for negotiations. Dinitz replied. “We hope not.” He added, “We have not initiated the fighting in the north and as far as we are concerned we are willing to stop it at any time.” He said he was not “pessimistic” before his talk with Kissinger “and I am not more optimistic now.”
While no substantive information was released on the Kissinger-Dinitz meeting. State Department sources told the JTA today that Kissinger had “briefed” Dinitz on the Syrian disengagement proposals which he received from the head of the Syrian negotiating team. Brig. Gen. Hikmat al-Shihabi at State Department meetings over the weekend. On Friday, Kissinger presented Shihabi with Israel’s disengagement proposals which he received from Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan two weeks ago. These included a detailed map. Shihabi gave his own map and proposals to Kissinger yesterday.
GENERAL SATISFACTION WITH SYRIAN POSITION
Kissinger’s departure for New York was delayed by his talk with Dinitz. The Secretary has scheduled meetings at the UN with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy. He will also meet with the top representatives of Saudi Arabia and Yugoslavia. The latter country has served as a go-between in Egyptian-Soviet relations. Kissinger may also participate in tomorrow’s Security Council session called by Lebanon over the Israeli commando raid into southern Lebanon. He is due back in Washington tomorrow night.
A State Department source indicated today that there was general satisfaction here with the Syrian position. One well-placed Department source suggested that the visit of Syrian President Hafez Assad to Moscow last week indicated that Syria wanted the Soviet Union to remain outside the disengagement negotiating process for the time being. Kissinger emerged from his meeting with Shihabi yesterday smiling and full of words of encouragement. “I consider the talks to have been very useful.” he said. “They were conducted in a very friendly and very constructive atmosphere.” Shihabi. speaking through an interpreter, agreed.
Kissinger said yesterday that the U.S. “will continue its efforts to bring the two sides together and it continues to consider disengagement between Syrian and Israeli forces the primary objective to be achieved in the Middle East right now. I believe the talks we have had here this weekend have furthered this effort.” The Secretary also met for a half-hour yesterday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Fahmy and their discussion also centered on Israeli-Syrian disengagement, according to the State Department. The Secretary also met with Gromyko.
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