There were no official reactions to U.S. Secretary of State William P. Rogers announcement in Washington last week that the Soviet Union agreed in principle that there should be Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. But the official view here is that there is little point in the U.S. and Soviet Union working out a common formula while the Arab states openly and emphatically refuse any and all types of negotiations with Israel, whether direct, indirect or in line with the 1949 Rhodes armistice talks.
This view was strengthened by yesterday’s report in Al Ahram that Foreign Minister Riad had rejected attempts by Dr. Jarring to bring the Israeli and Arab foreign ministers together. Jordan announced yesterday that it identified itself completely with the Egyptian position.
Foreign Minister Abba Eban told a press conference here last week that the U.S. was sounding out the Soviet attitude toward Rhodes-style talks but that there was no indication of the results of the Washington approach.
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