President Reagan warned Israel that it would be a serious mistake to annex the West Bank and asserted that if Israel did so it “would be nullifying” the Camp David peace process. Reagan made his remarks last Wednesday night in reply to questions on the NBC-TV “White Paper,” a nationally televised review of his Administration’s first year in office.
In another development, State Department deputy spokesman Alan Romberg denied reports from Israel that Secretary of State Alexander Haig would play a major role in the autonomy talks between Israel and Egypt. Replying to questions, Romberg said, “I have nothing to suggest that a decision has been taken in any sense on a special negotiator at this point, much less that he (Haig) would be the individual.”
Meanwhile, the American Ambassadors to Egypt and Israel, Alfred Atherton and Samuel Lewis, respectively, have been called home for consultations on the status of the autonomy talks, according to reports from Cairo.
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