Details of the reception planned for President Carter when he arrives from Cairo Saturday night and the itinerary of his three-day stay in Israel were disclosed today as preparations continued for the historic visit. The President is expected to land at Ben Gurion Airport at about 8 p.m. local time, accompanied by his wife, Rosalynn.
The official party includes the top echelon of America’s foreign policy establishment Secretary of State Cyrus Vance; National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski; Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian Affairs Harold Sounders; Special Ambassador Alfred Atherton. William Quandt, Middle East specialist of the National Security Council; Samuel Lewis, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel; and Carter’s top White House aides, Press Secretary Jody Powell and White House chief of staff Hamilton Jordan.
A guard of honor will be lined up at the airport when the Presidential plane lands. Chief of Protocol Rehavom Ami will be the first to greet Carter at the top of the gangway and will escort him along the red carpet to shake hands with the official welcoming delegation of Israeli government officials, Headed by President Yitzhak Navon. Carter will review the honor guard and, possibly, make a formal statement.
Carter will be driven to Jerusalem in an armored car followed by a motorcade carrying his 400-member entourage. Police have been busy on the security arrangements since Monday when Carter’s impending visit was announced. Units of the army and border police have been placed under police command for the occasion. Anti-terrorist units of border police will be on special alert throughout the President’s visit deployed in Jerusalem and other parts of the country.
HECTIC SCHEDULE FOR CARTER
The Presidential party will stay at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem where all of its rooms have been reserved for the Americans. Guests already there began transferring to other hotels this morning and the King David is swarming with American security agents and technicians who arrived from the U.S. on a special flight yesterday.
The Carters and the President chief aides will occupy several suites on the fifth floor of the hotel which is reserved for visiting heads of state. After a short rest at the hotel Saturday night, the president and Mrs. Carter will dine with Premier Menachem Begin and Mrs. Begin at the Prime Minister’s residence near the hotel. It has been described in advance as an “intimate dinner.”
The Carters are scheduled to attend services at a nearby church Sunday morning. This will be followed by the first working session between Carter and Begin. A festive dinner for the President will be held, at the Knesset Sunday night, to be attended by Cabinet: ministers, the leaders of the various Knesset factions and other senior officials. The President’s schedule Sunday is expected to include a visit to the Yad-Vashem. Carter and Begin will hold their concluding talks Monday after which the President will address the Knesset.
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