Strains Between Egypt and Israel Appear to Be Developing

Strains appeared to be developing in Israeli-Egyptian relations over the weekend following President Anwar Sadat’s complaint that Israel was dragging its feet in the autonomy negotiations and the sharp response by Israel’s chief negotiator, Interior Minister Yosef Burg, who suggested that the delegations start dealing with the “difficult problems pertaining to the character and substance of proposed autonomy.”

Sadat said, in an interview with writer Amos Elon published in Hoaretz last Friday, that he was “partly disappointed” with Israel because of the failure to make progress in the autonomy talks and the Israel lobby’s efforts in Washington to thwart the supply of advanced American arms to Egypt. Sadat also warned that it there is no progress on autonomy by the May 26 deadline set by the Camp David accords, “a new situation” would arise. He would not elaborate.

Burg, for his part, sent cables over the weekend to his negotiating partners, Prime Minister Mustapha Khalil of Egypt, and U.S. Special Ambassador Sol Linowitz, suggesting that they step up the pace of the autonomy talks by scheduling weekly plenary sessions while the lower level working groups continue their meetings as before. The three top negotiators last met at The Hogue on February 28-29 but little progress was reported.

TRADE TALKS BREAK OFF

Another sign that Israeli-Egyptian relations were not running smoothly less than a month after the two countries exchanged ambassadors was the break-off in trade negotiations in Tel Aviv today. The Egyptian delegation left the country without reaching a trade agreement with Israel. The parties decided to continue their talks but no time or place were set The negotiations are concerned with a customs agreement, the transfer of goods from one country to the other and procedures for issuing import and export licenses.

Sadat referred indirectly to trade relations in his Hoaretz interview. When asked about the prospects for joint economic projects with Israel, he said they would have to wait until a comprehensive peace settlement is achieved, meaning solution of the Palestinian problem.

The Egyptian leader insisted that while the autonomy talks have bogged down they have not broken down. “We have stopped half way toward the cornerstone of an overall peace settlement in the Palestinian issue. But we have made progress on this. I am very sorry, very, very sorry. But the autonomy talks are not a failure yet. No, no, not that. But there has been no progress, no progress,” Sadat said.

He said that Egypt, for its part, has implemented the normalization of relations fully and more quickly than expected. He conceded that Israel, too, has fulfilled its part of the peace treaty pertaining to the withdrawal of forces from Sinai to the letter. With respect to a “new situation” if the May 26 deadline is not met. Sadat said he “never crosses bridges until I come to them.”

Sadat noted that as part of the normalization process Israelis and Egyptians can now visit each other’s country. Israelis can drive their cars across Sinai into Egypt, he said. Last night Israel and Egypt initialed an air agreement, effective today, providing for six flights a week between Tel Aviv and Cairo, three by El Al and three by Nefertiti, the new Egyptian airline established to fly the route. Actually, the flights began two weeks ago.

Sadat appeared to be particularly disturbed by Israeli objections to the supply of American arms to Egypt. He insisted that Egypt has no intention to use them against Israel but pro-Israel and Jewish spokesmen in Washington are working against them. “Why is this? Does Begin not trust me?” the Egyptian leader asked. He suggested that the psychological barriers have not yet come down in Israel. He asserted that 99 percent of the Egyptian people supported normalization and his policies.