Middle East Issues Aired

Israel Defense Minister Ezer. Weizman said today that he expects to complete the negotiations with Egyptian Defense Minister Kamal Hassan Ali on the military annexes of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty by the time he leaves tomorrow to return to Jerusalem He added that while he may not be “as happy with it as I should be,” that element will not black the signing of the treaty in Washington which is expected to take place next week.

Weizman also said he anticipates reaching agreement with Defense Secretary Harold Brown on the U.S. contribution to the cost of Israel’s removal of its bases from the Sinai to within Israel’s old borders” before he leaves tomorrow “Nobody expects the U.S. to foot the bill for everything,” he said. “We shall tighten our belts and do our bit, too.” Israel estimates the cost at 53.2-54 billion.

Weizman’s appearance on NBC-TV’s “Meet the Pres” completed a cycle of three nationally -televised interview programs on Middle East issues today. He was preceded on ABC TV’s “Issues and Answers” by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Frank Church (D Idaho) and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance on CBS-TV’s” Face the Nation.”

NO SECRET COMMITMENTS

Both Church and Vance said President Carter made no secret commitments to Egypt or Israel on any Factor, including establishment of autonomy on the West Bank and Gaza. With Saudi Arabia media attacking the agreement and Jordan also opposing it, Church declared that the U.S. mission “is the most plain spoken” the Carter Administration has yet sent to Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

And it’s high time” to “make it plain to them our special-relationship is a two-way street,” he added. While those countries do not necessarily have to endorse the agreement, Church said, “it is our right to look to them for discreet help as long as they look to us as their ultimate protector.”

Without mentioning the opposition by Sen William Proxmire (D Wis.) to what he termed too costly U.S. financial contribution to the Egyptian-Israeli agreement, Church asked “suppose it is 56 billion, isn’t that a good investment?” He noted the U.S. spent $27 billion because of the last four wars in the Middle East and the oil embargo. He called on the “rich” West European nations, specifically West Germany, and Japan, to help in the peace process beginning with the Egyptian-Israeli treaty. “We all have an interest” in the “multilateral peace,” he said Late last week, Senators Richard Stone (D/Fla), Ted Stevens (R Alasko) and Larry Pressler (R.S.D) asked for European and Japanese contributions to join with the U.S. in underwriting the economic costs of the treaty and to help in the costs of the three year Israeli withdrawal from Sinai.

Both Vance and Weizman were asked about the threat of violence voiced by Yasir Arcfat, chief of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Vance said “we cannot rule out some violence after the signing” and U.S. Embassies have been told to take precautions. When Weizman was asked about Arafat calling the treaty a “time bomb,” he replied Arafat “is wrong” and added that Arafat “is an expert on actual time bombs.”

Weizman said Israeli troops on the West Bank, once autonomy is in effect, will not be there to control the civilian population but to counter military threats from Syria, Iraq and others. He rejected the view that Israel should leave the Golan Heights as it will do in the Sinai, pointing out that the Syrians are not Egyptians and the areas are not geographically the same.

ISSUE OF DEFENSE TREATY

Regarding a possible U.S. defense treaty with Israel, Church replied, “Israel has never asked for a pact” and therefore “there is go reason for us to ask them.” Weizman said “I don’t think it would be a bad idea,” but he noted there are “various opinions” in Israel about such a treaty and emphasized the main thing is to get settled down with Egypt.”

Vance was asked whether the U.S. would go to war to protect Saudi Arabia. He replied, “We consider the territorial integrity and security of Saudi Arabia to be of fundamental importance to us. Asked if he was talking about the oil there, Vance replied he was “talking of the stability of the region” which is important “not only to the U.S. but to the peoples of the world.”

Vance was asked if the U.S. would have a “direct role” on the future of the Palestinians and “Palestinian state.” He replied that the letter in connection with the peace treaty would have the U.S. “participate fully in the negotiations” on the “establishing of a self governing authority on the West Bank and Gaza”

Church rejected the suggestion that gas stations will be closed Sundays in the U.S. and Americans will have to cancel vacations because U.S. oil will go to Israel on the guarantees in the agreement. “No new oil commitment is entailed,” he said, after noting that the 1975 Sinai agreement guaranteed that Israel would have oil. Church pointed out that the Israelis are “adroit” in finding oil supplies and Egypt is to sell Israel oil under the treaty.

Church said that despite the Saudi Arabian opposition to the agreement, he did not think Saudi Arabia would cut off did to Egypt. “Certainly we will keep our commitment to Israel, ” he said. While Egypt “may need some limited military help” regarding Libya and its African position, “I will be very much against” such “grandiose talks to make Egypt the policeman of the Middle East. We should learn from our Iranian experience to avoid that.”