Shamir: Iranian-iraqi Fighting Shows Inter-arab Conflicts Would Occur Even if Israel. Arabs Achieve

Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir said here today that the outbreak of fighting between Iraq and Iran is more of a threat to the delivery of oil to the West than the Arab-Israeli conflict. Iraqi aircraft reportedly struck at 10 air bases deep in Iran early today following artillery duels and patrol boat battle between the two countries.

Answering questions after addressing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Shamir said hopefully the new conflict will demonstrate to world public opinion that even if the Arab-Israeli conflict was settled there would still be plenty of conflicts between Arab countries. He stressed that although both Iran and Iraq are among the countries most hostile to Israel he hopes the present conflict does not lead to all out war.

On Israel’s own peace efforts, Shamir told an overflow standing-room audience that an agreement on autonomy for the West Bank and Gaza Strip is still possible if Egypt agrees to resume the negotiations soon.

Shamir, who was making his first appearance before the Presidents Conference since becoming Foreign Minister, come here after meeting with United States officials in Washington last week and prior to his address to the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for next Monday.

BLAMES EGYPT FOR DELAY OF TALKS

The Foreign Minister blamed the delay of autonomy talks on Egypt which he said was trying to postpone them until after the U.S. Presidential election despite President Anwar Sadat’s promise to special U.S. ambassador Sol Linowitz that the autonomy talks would resume soon. Linowitz, on his recent trip to the Mideast, got Israeli Premier Menachem Begin to agree to Sadat’s request for a summit talk in Washington on condition that Sadat assented to the resumption of autonomy talks first.

Shamis stressed today that “the summit will not take place without negotiations, without much congress in negotiations.” He explained that without such progress a summit would be “useless.”

The Israeli Foreign Minister also stressed that Israel will not change its attitude on the issues of autonomy “under any pressure.” He said Israel is open to suggestions and new ideas. But, he added, at the Camp David talks two years ago Israel went to the “ultimate limits” of concessions and it is now time for the “other party to be more forthcoming.”

URGES UTMOST JEWISH SUPPORT

Shamir told the gathering that “it is important for us (in Israel) to know that the Jewish community in the United States is doing its utmost to ensure support for Israel and peace in the Middle East. “He said he stressed in his discussions in Washington that Israel cannot be defeated by any combination of Arab states as long as the U.S. remains its friend and ally. He said this point is also stressed by Sadat to other Arab countries.

The Foreign Minister urged American Jews not to let their disapproval over the timing of the Knesset’s recent Jerusalem law be used to justify not supporting Israel’s position that Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.

Shamir said proposals for Jerusalem, such as Republican Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan’s for vaticonization, Sadat’s for joint sovereignty and the Vatican’s for neutralization are “vague” and do notified the situation of Jerusalem. He also noted that Jerusalem was not mentioned in the Camp David agreements and is not in the agenda for the autonomy talks and thus cannot be used, as Sadat did, as an excuse for not resuming the negotiations. Sadat delayed resumption of the talks for a fifth time after the Jerusalem bill was adopted.

In response to a question, Shamir said Israel is “continuing efforts” to enable the Falasha Jews to leave Ethiopia for Israel and “some results” have been achieved.