Nato Leader Says West European Countries Accept Camp David

West European countries support the United States in the belief that the Camp David process still is the best means of achieving peace in the Middle East, Joseph Luns, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said today.

Luns, who spoke with reporters at the State Department after a meeting with Secretary of State Alexander Haig, said that the U. S. “rightly” believes that the Camp David process is the only basis for negotiating a Mideast peace.

He said that some West European countries may have given the “impression” that they wanted to substitute the eight-point plan proposed by Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia for Camp David. He said that while the Europeans see “merits” in the Fahd plan, they have now come to the “better perception” that the Camp David process should be the only means for working toward peace.

Luns, who said he discussed a variety of U. S.-European issues with Haig, said the Mideast was among the topics discussed. He said he believed the European countries were moving toward participation in the multinational force that will patrol the Sinai when Israel completes its final withdrawal in April.

Britain, France, Italy and The Netherlands have indicated their willingness to participate in the force. But this participation suffered a setback after British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington attacked the Camp David process and supported the Fahd plan while on a visit to Saudi Arabia. Israeli Premier Menachem Begin said that Israel, which like Egypt has a veto on participants, would not allow any country to join the force if in doing so, it said it supported any other means but the Camp David process.