Mrs. Meir Says Sadat’s Readiness to Reach Peace Accord is an Ultimatum

Premier Golda Meir contended today that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s expressed readiness to reach a peace agreement with Israel actually constituted an ultimatum rather than a negotiation move because it was conditioned on a prior total withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories. Speaking at a question-and-answer meeting with students at the Haifa Technion, Mrs. Meir said also that while Israel was ready to enter negotiations with Egypt without preconditions, Egypt in its position statements through United Nations emissary Dr. Gunnar V. Jarring, had made it clear it was not ready for negotiations on a reciprocal basis. She reiterated that Israel, in presenting a peace program through Dr. Jarring, had said again it was ready to “withdraw to secure, agreed and recognized borders” and also that “we are not withdrawing to the June 4 (1967) borders” in existence before the Six-Day War. But Mrs. Meir added, “we did not say that’s that and the Egyptians should sign.” She stressed that Israel was ready “to enter negotiations on every single item of a peace agreement but we are not prepared to accept preconditions, definitely not a precondition that would bring us back to the June 4 borders.” She said it was those borders that were attacked by the Arabs on June 5 and that “it was not because of the Arabs that they did not succeed in destroying those borders and what is across them.” Mrs. Meir added Israel wanted borders that “will be good not only for defense, if and when we are attacked, but borders that would deter any Arab ruler from trying to attack us.” She said Israel sought conditions that were essential for true peace but nothing more.