Question of U.S. Personnel in Sinai a Delicate Issue in Talks

Stationing of American personnel in the Sinai to operate early warning radar stations that report on Israeli and Egyptian military movements has become a delicate United States issue in the current negotiations for a second Sinai interim accord.

While refusing to discuss the specific point of U.S. personnel becoming involved in the area, State Department spokesman Robert Funseth said today that the White House would consult with the leadership in Congress this week on the “overall agreement” and that Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger has met with Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Sparkman (D,Ala.) and others in Congress about it, Kissinger will fly to Vail, Colo, Friday to spend the weekend there with President Ford. The Middle East will be high on the agenda.

The matter of personnel, Funseth said, “has not reached the point where we will go to Congress,” since neither Egypt nor Israel as yet asked the U.S. for such participation. However, Funseth noted, the matter has been “obviously” talked about and it is “of sufficient importance to get the view of Congress.” Funseth said “no consideration will be given to military personnel” and that they will be “definitely civilian.” Kissinger had previously spoken of “military or civilian” personnel.

According to some observers here, important Congressmen sympathetic to Israel have cautioned they would be exposed to a charge of opening a Vietnam in the Middle East if they supported the idea of Americans being assigned to the Sinai and that therefore they would have reservations about it. According to these sources, the Administration is well aware of this domestic political factor and is therefore planning to ask for Congressional support before taking such action.

ECONOMIC TALKS BEGIN

Although the Administration did not consult with the Congress when it sent military technicians to Saudi Arabia and other Mideast countries, this development came as the two-member Israeli and American political teams cancelled their scheduled meeting this morning at the State Department because, the State Department announced, “both sides needed more time to prepare” for the session. They will meet this afternoon.

Yesterday they met for two hours and afterwards Kissinger gave Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz the Egyptian response to the latest Israeli proposals for a second accord. The contents were not disclosed.

Israeli and U.S. economic specialists opened their talks here on schedule today. Their meetings are now expected to last several days. The Israelis are presenting their financial requests regarding their military and economic needs in the coming year. The Administration has been delaying its presentation to Congress since last March on what it thinks Israel should receive in grants or credits.