Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger will leave Washington Sunday on a nine-day trip to visit leaders of five Middle East countries, three in Western Europe and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in Geneva in between. “My trip to the Middle East is one of exploration,” Kissinger told newsmen last night. “I don’t expect to settle anything on this trip.”
The joint announcement in Moscow and in Washington said that Kissinger and Gromyko would confer in Geneva Feb. 16-17 to exchange views on “matters of mutual interest.” It was understood here that the principal purpose of the meeting is to bring about a closer understanding of the positions of the two superpowers in the Middle East. Gromyko has just completed a visit to Syria, Iraq and Egypt and was reported to have agreed to resumption of arms shipments to Egypt.
According to reliable sources here, Kissinger, accompanied by his wife, will be in Tel Aviv Monday and Tuesday and then fly to Cairo for a day. On Feb. 13 he will be in Damascus and return to Israel the same day for further consultations.
Based on his consultations with the Syrian and Egyptian leaders on another step in the Israeli withdrawal from Arab areas, Kissinger will meet with King Hussein of Jordan on Feb. 14 and with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia on Feb. 15. The stops will be followed by Kissinger’s stopover in Bonn for talks with West German leaders and then he will go to Geneva for the discussions with Gromyko.
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