The State Department continued today to refuse to confirm or deny reports that the January, 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Egypt contained an understanding that Israeli cargoes would be allowed transit through the Suez Canal once the waterway is reopened. Israel insists there was such an understanding and charges that President Anwar Sadat specifically violated the disengagement accord when he stated last week that Israeli cargoes as well as Israeli ships would be barred from the canal when it reopens June 5.
Questioned on the matter again today, Department spokesman Robert Anderson replied: “As we indicated at the time, certain of the understandings in connection with the disengagement agreement were not made public. We have informed the proper committees of Congress, however, of all the relevant documents. It would not be appropriate to discuss our confidential exchanges with other governments.”
Anderson also would not confirm or deny that a message sent to the governments of 30 countries by Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger after the suspension of the second-stage Israeli-Egyptian talks last month contained praise of the Egyptian position but was silent on Israel. Anderson said, “I am not going into details on the substance” of Kissinger’s message (By Joseph Polakoff)
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