The State Department refused comment today on whether or not any progress has been made in furthering disengagement talks between Israel and Syria. Although the Department said last week that Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger had transmitted Syrian ideas on the issue to Israel and that the next step would be determined by the Israeli Cabinet meeting held in Jerusalem last Sunday, it sidestepped questions today.
Department spokesman George Vest, when pressed by reporters, declared that the “process” on Israeli-Syrian disengagement talks will take time and that “many factors are at play.” He observed that Kissinger “is in regular touch with the various parties concerned” and that he “has had further communication from the Israelis since Sunday.” Another Department spokesman John King, said, “No comment,” when asked about the Israeli Cabinet decision. King also refused to comment on whether the U.S. is satisfied with the disengagement process on the Suez Canal front.
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