Israeli Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin expressed confidence yesterday that despite the “tragic” downing of the Libyan airliner, the meeting this week in Washington between Premier Golda Meir and President Nixon and top administration leaders will be conducted in “an atmosphere of friendship.” Mrs. Meir, making her first visit to Washington since Dec. 1971, is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and will meet at the White House with the President on Thursday. Her trip had been arranged two months ago.
The Israeli envoy told newsmen: “I believe the President and the rest of the U.S. administration will distinguish between the unfortunate incident; however tragic, and the necessity to concentrate on fundamental problems of the Middle East.” He added: “I believe the basic state of relations between the United States and Israel was never better in the past than it is today. I am confident that the United States government–as it has done in the past–will continue to do everything to conduct the visit in an atmosphere of friendship and understanding between our two governments.”
Commenting on the meeting Friday between Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers and the special Egyptian emissary, Hafez Ismail, Rabin said: “If Mr. Ismail did not bring with him concrete proposals on how to make further progress toward a political solution through negotiations among the parties beyond past Egyptian proposals, I am doubtful that the visit of Mr. Ismail will have any impact on the Prime Minister’s forthcoming visit.”
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