Secretary of State Henry A, Kissinger said today that he plans to visit the Middle East “in the next few weeks” at the request of “all the parties” in the region and that he would announce his travel plans next week. He said the visit was “designed” to allow him to have “first hand talks with all the major participants” in the conflict to see “what the real possibilities of a solution will be.”
Kissinger said that his next trip to the area “is not designed to settle anything or generate shuttle diplomacy,” When reporters noted that the Secretary had said on previous occasions that he would return to the Middle East only if a real possibility existed for an agreement on the next stage of a settlement, Kissinger conceded that he had changed his tactics because “the urgency of the situation requires it” and because he was invited by “all parties,” He said, “I am hopeful progress can be made and I am going with that attitude.”
He stressed that “dealings in the Middle East are enormously delicate procedures,” were “extremely complex” and involved a “very dangerous situation” that included the relationship of “outside powers” to the problems of the area. He did not identify the powers.
ARAB, ISRAEL POINTS RECONCILABLE
Kissinger said the chief points at present in negotiations were the return to Egypt of “some territories” and Israel’s desire for “some progress toward peace (which) can be reconciled,” He warned that “the alternative to reconciling them will be serious for all parties concerned.”
Kissinger indicated that he would visit all of the Arab countries he visited on his last trip to the Middle East, and Israel. On his previous visit, the Secretary went to Egypt, Syria and Jordan in addition to Israel. His remark was seen as ruling out any contact with the Palestine Liberation Organization which, Kissinger has said on previous occasions, the U.S. did not consider a participant in Middle East negotiations as long as its program called for the elimination of Israel as a sovereign state.
Asked whether in his discussions with Arab leaders he had found “any evidence that the Arab world is prepared to accept the existence of Israel,” Kissinger replied, “My impression is that there is increasing willingness to accept the existence of Israel as part of the process of peace,” It was understood here that Kissinger will delay his visit to the Middle East until after Soviet Foreign Minister Andrel A, Gromyko visits the region, Gromyko is due in Cairo Feb. 3 and is expected to go on from there to Damascus and Baghdad.
Referring to the sale of U.S. arms to Persian Gulf states, notably Iran and Saudi Arabia, Kissinger said the U.S. has a “major strategic interest” in the Persian Gulf area and that some countries there feel they have a security problem. He said that when British Prime Minister Harold Wilson comes to Washington shortly, the Middle East situation and the Persian Gulf “will have a significant role” In their talks.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
