In an apparent complete about-face from his Harrogate speech soon after the Conservatives won the elections in Britain in 1970, Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home said tonight that no attempt should be made to add, subtract from or interpret Security Council Resolution 242. Answering questions from the press after telescoping his projected three-day visit into a day and a half, Sir Alec said the resolution gives sufficient flexibility and that it would not be profitable to reply to questions regarding any interpretation gap between Israel and Britain.
The important thing is what the countries of the area think about it, he said, adding that if anyone tried to vary the resolution no other resolution would be possible to obtain. The Briton said, however, that a quicker and closer dialogue should be entered into by the countries of the area. No solution of the conflict can be achieved without a dialogue and nobody can impose a settlement, not even the United States and the Soviet Union, he said when asked about the forthcoming visit to Moscow of President Nixon.
Sir Alec, who arrived here last night, cut short his visit in order to attend an urgent Cabinet meeting called for tomorrow to discuss the crisis in Northern Ireland. His early departure will eliminate the second of two working sessions with Foreign Minister Abba Eban and a meeting he was to have had with Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. Sir Alec met with Eban and Premier Golda Meir this morning and called on President Zalman Shazar this afternoon.
NO ARMS EMBARGO
Regarding the Jarring Mission, he commented that “nothing has been happening so far and time is on nobody’s side.” A quicker pace for the Jarring mission must depend upon the principals, he said. On Jerusalem, he said similarly that Israel and Jordan should reach a common position. This does not, he stressed, rule out internationalization of the city if the two sides should so want it. On an interim settlement for the Suez Canal his comment was that anything can be useful if there is progress between the parties.
Asked about King Hussein’s federation plan, Sir Alec said he believed the Jordanian had proposed it in good faith, possibly as a contribution to peace with Israel, but he refused comment on the substance of the plan. Asked about the sale by Britain of two submarines to Israel and about Britain’s withholding of Chieftain tanks, Sir Alec said there is no embargo on any arms sale but that he does not confirm or deny such sales. However, he said, if any military goods are being sold to Israel or the Arabs it is Britain’s conviction that such goods do not upset the balance of armaments in the area.
He added that when the Middle East is discussed by Britain and other European countries it is done with the aim of seeing if negotiations can be helped or if European countries can become guarantors of any agreement between the sides, there being no intention of interfering in an antagonistic way. Sir Alec and his Israeli hosts refused to reveal the contents of their talks beyond saying they had covered a wide range of subjects including the area and its conflict, world matters and bilateral subjects.
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