Rabin Takes Dim View of Sadat’s Statements to Egyptian Parliament

Premier Yitzhak Rabin took a dim view today of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s statement to the Egyptian parliament last night that Egypt would agree to only a three-month extension of the mandate of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Sinai which expires next month. Rabin described it as a “negative indication” at today’s Cabinet meeting according to a statement released to the press.

It was Israel’s first official reaction to Sadat’s speech before the People’s Assembly in Cairo. Observers noted that those parts of Rabin’s remarks made public after the Cabinet session were extremely cautious in tone and contained no reference to what some consider to be more “positive” aspects of Sadat’s speech, especially his announcement that the Suez Canal would be re-opened on June 5.

Rabin stressed that UNEF “in its present form” was an integral part of the disengagement agreements, meaning that up to now it had been a matter of course that its mandate would be extended for a minimum period of six months. “Failure to resume the UNEF mandate, or a change in its duration, would be regarded by Israel as a negative indication,” the Premier’s statement said. It added that Israel would continue to observe the cease-fire agreement and the disengagement agreement on the basis of reciprocity.

Rabin repeated a statement made by Foreign Minister Yigal Allon on a television interview over the weekend that Israel was ready to advance toward peace “in every possible way.” One possibility still open, according to Rabin was through an interim agreement with Egypt for which the good offices of the United States are essential. “This is important for both an interim agreement and the convening of the Geneva conference,” Rabin said.

DILEMMA CONFRONTING GOVERNMENT

Israel’s extreme caution in its reaction to Sadat’s speech reflected a dilemma confronting the government, sources here said. On one hand Israel does not want to appear in the position of rejecting an apparent attempt by Sadat to leave the door open to further negotiations–possibly before the Geneva conference is reconvened. On the other hand, Israel does not want to welcome a political statement that, as Rabin noted, has definite negative implications for Israel.

The positive aspects of Sadat’s speech, though not mentioned in Rabin’s statement to the press, are believed to have been discussed at today’s Cabinet meeting. The two points that Israeli officials were quick to express reservations over were precisely those that Sadat apparently regards as proof of his intentions to “pursue all possible opportunities for the settlement of the Mideast conflict.” These were the three-month extension of the UNEF mandate and the re-opening of the Suez Canal.

CANAL RE-OPENING A TEST

The latter, while generally welcomed, was not regarded by Israeli officials as an Egyptian concession although it was a “de-escalating factor” after a week of tension, sources here said. Some political circles expressed the view, however, that if the canal is indeed re-opened without demands for further Israeli territorial withdrawals, it would indicate that Sadat has chosen “the path of diplomacy.”

A third major point of Sadat’s speech that has been given considerable attention here was his intimation that Egypt would return the bodies of Israeli soldiers killed in the Yom Kippur War and still listed as missing. “We have yet to hear if Egypt would attach conditions to this offer,” sources here said.

Rabin himself did not refer directly to that part of Sadat’s speech. He noted, however, that, throughout the course of Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s shuttle diplomacy Israel consistently raised the question of the missing soldiers both through Kissinger and through “other channels” which the Premier did not specify.

Whereas Sadat mentioned 39 bodies to be returned to Israel, according to Israeli information, 57 soldiers are still on the missing list. Therefore, Rabin said, Israel would continue its “unceasing effort” to achieve the return of all missing bodies. (See separate story.)