Ambassador Yitzhak Rabin had a breakfast meeting this morning with Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joseph J. Sisco. An Israel Embassy spokesman said the meeting was within the framework of a continuing dialogue between Israel and the United States and that there was nothing special about it since the diplomats of both countries are in constant touch. There were indications, however, that the meeting was requested by Rabin and was prompted by Israel’s anger over Secretary of State William P. Rogers’ speech Monday to the United Nations General Assembly. Observers here said Rabin probably stated the views of Israeli officials who were astonished by Rogers’ apparent shift toward the Egyptian view on some elements of an interim agreement to reopen the Suez Canal.
Israeli sources said there was nothing new in Egyptian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Riad’s Assembly speech yesterday. They did not express surprise that the Egyptian diplomat said his country would not press for a special Assembly debate on the Mideast but would await the results of a fact-finding mission from four African states which will visit Egypt and Israel next month. The delegation is due in Israel Nov. 4 and will remain a week. Sources here said Egypt does not want a debate at this time because the Middle East is being overshadowed by the China issue.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
