Rogers, Conference of Presidents Delegation Exchange Views on Mideast

Secretary of State William P. Rogers invited a delegation representing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to his office Friday for an exchange of views on the Middle East, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency learned today. The 90-minute meeting followed by a day Rogers’ appearance at a closed meeting of the Senate to explain his Mideast policies in view of mounting criticism within the Senate. A spokesman for the Presidents Conference told the JTA that the talk with Rogers included a “comprehensive review of how we got to the present state of the Jarring talks and our different views on the next steps required to keep them going.” (United Nations mediator Dr. Gunnar V. Jarring returned Thursday to his Swedish ambassadorial post in Moscow as the Arab-Israeli talks under his auspices remained deadlocked. Dr. Jarring’s return to Moscow was described as temporary, in order to spend the Easter holiday with his family but no date was set for his return to New York. UN sources said he would return whenever there was an indica- tion that the two parties were ready to resume substantive negotiations.) The spokesman for the Presidents Conference told the JTA that Rogers emphasized to the group that the U.S. has no intention of trying to impose a peace settlement on the Mideast. The Secretary of State said however that the U.S. has its views of where future boundaries should be located and has expressed them.

But Rogers made it clear that there would be no military or economic pressure on Israel to compel it to accept the American views, the spokesman said. Rogers also said the U.S. feels the next step is up to Israel to come forward with a counter proposal to Egyptian boundary proposals. The Egyptians have demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal to the boundaries of June 5, 1967. The spokesman said there was general agreement at the meeting that the U.S. was entitled to credit for persuading Egypt to continue the cease-fire and to accept the principle of peace talks with Israel. But there was disagreement as to whether or not international guarantees were a substitute for geographic security, the spokesman said. The delegation that met with Rogers consisted of Jacob Stein, of the United Synagogue of America and Rabbi Israel Miller, president of the American Zionist Federation, co-chairman of the Presidents Conference; Max Fisher, president of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds; Philip Hoffman, president of the American Jewish Committee; Albert E. Arent, chairman of the National Community Relations Advisory Council; Mrs. Charlotte Jacobson, past president of Hadassah; Jacob Zimmerman, president of the Jewish Labor Committee; Herman Edelsberg, director of the international Council of B’nai B’rith; and Yehuda Hellman, executive director of the Presidents Conference.