The State Department and the Israeli Embassy each stood by its position yesterday on Middle East developments. Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz insisted that his country has never missed an opportunity for peace, contrary to the assertion by Assistant Secretary of State Joseph J. Sisco at an Israeli Independence Day celebration Monday night that both sides had missed opportunities.
Sisco’s top aide, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alfred Atherton, said he would concur with Sisco’s speech in terms of the developments during the past year. Dinitz spoke at a luncheon session of the 14th annual policy conference of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) attended by 300 delegates and 180 Congressmen. Atherton addressed the delegates at a State Department briefing.
Atherton indicated that the State Department is not moving from the position stated by Sisco. But he did not mention missed opportunities or the events leading up to the 1967 Six-Day War over which Sisco and Dinitz differed sharply. Atherton said the U.S. was trying to get the parties to the Middle East conflict into some kind of negotiations. He mentioned in that connection President Nixon’s recent White House meetings with King Hussein, Premier, Golda Meir, and Hafez Ismail, a personal emissary of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
DIPLOMATIC OPTIONS STILL OPEN
Atherton maintained that diplomatic options were still open despite Sadat’s bellicose May Day speech. He noted that while Sadat threatened war he also said that Egypt continues to pursue a diplomatic solution on the basis of the Security Council’s Resolution 242.
The State Department official said that among the negative developments in the Mideast were the increasingly rigid negotiating positions adopted by both sides, the recent strengthening of extremist forces and the increased terrorism and radicalization of some elements. He noted that the absence of negotiations tended to put pressure on the moderates of both camps but he did not identify the moderates.
Dinitz who Monday night replied sharply though not directly to Sisco, said yesterday. “If there were any missed opportunities for peace they were not missed by us.” He added that whenever any new opportunities for a partial or overall settlement opened up. Israel would be prepared to participate.
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