Muskie: Egypt, Israel Must Deal with Six Issues to Reach Autonomy Accord

Secretary of State Edmund Muskie said today that Egypt and Israel “have no choice but to deal” with the six, “hard central issues that stand in the way of a genuine agreement on autonomy” for the West Bank and Gaza and that “obviously they are not going to be settled by May 26,” the target date set by the Camp David accords.

The former Senator from Maine also said at his first press conference of the State Department since assuming its helm, that the Western European countries should not “dilute” the Camp David peace process because there is “no better prospect” for a peace agreement.

The Western European countries, notably Great Britain, France and West Germany, have indicated that they would seek to set aside the Camp David formulas and take the lead at the United Nations by amending Security Council Resolution 242 which underpins the Camp David accords, if May 26 passes with no agreement on autonomy.

A DISSERVICE TO STABILITY

“It would be a disservice to the stability in the area, to the prospect of the further rallying of support for the results of this process if we were to back off or if initiatives are taken by other countries which would undercut this process,” Muskie said. Resolving these issues, he said, “is going to require time, persistence, encouragement and prodding.”

The Secretary of State added, “I understand, of course, that those who have not been involved in the Camp David process, including our European friends and the moderate and more radical Arab countries, are dissatisfied with the process. But nothing that has been proposed, as far as! can see, holds out a better prospect for coming to grips with the six fundamental questions on the issue of autonomy anymore effectively than these talks.”

Muskie said “land,” “settlements” and security” are among the six “tough issues” but did not list the others. However, a senior State Department official said later that they included Jerusalem, Israel’s borders, land and water rights and the scope of authority for the people of the area.

Muskie said that “a lot of other issues involving proposed authorities of the self-governing authority” have been “cleared away” in the negotiations thus far. “It is clear most government functions affecting people would be under the self-governing authority” and that “basically agreement is within reach” on them.

Muskie spoke in response to questions as to whether he had “formulated plans to break the stalemate” in the Egyptian-Israeli-U.S. negotiations which President Anwar Sadat broke off last week, when Sadat would rejoin the talks and if he would “dissuade” the European allies from recognizing the Palestine Liberation Organization. Muskie did not refer to the PLO in his replies but dwelt entirely on the autonomy negotiations.