Thant: U.s., USSR Peace Force Would Create Problems, Anglo-france Force Would Not

Secretary General Thant asserted today that “active participation” of the United States and the Soviet Union in a Middle East peacekeeping force would “create more problems” than it would solve, but that such participation by the other two members of the Big Four–Britain and France–would present no difficulties. Speaking at a press conference here, Thant said he had “personal doubts about the wisdom” of a Big Four peacekeeping presence in the Mideast in the foreseeable future, but that by 1980 or 1990 it “may be desirable and even essential.” The Big Four, Thant added, “will have a major role to play (in the Mideast) sooner or later, “but they “should not be too active” in working on peacekeeping guidelines for the Security Council. The Council, he said, “is the master of its own procedures and the master of its own decisions” and has a “very important role to play” in the Mideast, including the determination of a peacekeeping force.

In discouraging Big Two troops in the Mideast and Big Four guidelines to the Security Council, Thant in effect put himself in opposition to recent Egyptian proposals, endorsed by Britain and France, stressing a Big Four role. The United States has so far preferred to say only that the emphasis should be on the Mideast parties and the Jarring talks. Observers here agreed that Thant’s comments on forces and guidelines would be welcomed by Israel, which has indicated willingness to accept big-power guarantees only after the achievement of a formal peace agreement and which opposes the Egyptian attempt to convene a special session of the Security Council before Feb. 5, when the cease-fire ends. Observers added that Israel would also be pleased by Thant’s remark today that both he and his personal Mideast representative, Ambassador Gunnar V. Jarring of Sweden, were “cautiously optimistic” about the future success of the Jarring talks. The sources considered it significant that Thant would emphasize that he and Dr. Jarring shared that view.

The Secretary General today would not go beyond his view of “cautious optimism,” contending it would be “damaging” to the peace talks for him to make any “substantive” comments,” as Dr. Jarring is now “in a very delicate stage of discussions with the parties primarily involved.” The Jordanian ambassador, Dr. Muhammad H. el-Farra, was scheduled to present Thant today with his government’s position on the “implementation” of Security Council Resolution 242. Israel and Egypt have already submitted their views. (In Washington, a State Department spokesman declined to characterize the Egyptian peace proposals but termed Israel’s proposals “useful.”) In reply to another question, Thant stated that all acts of “violence, intimidation and threat,” especially the recent “hooliganism” against Soviet and Egyptian installations and personnel in New York and Washington, D. C., were “deplorable” and “must be condemned.” The most recent such incident occurred yesterday, when the door of the Egyptian Mission to the UN was blown off by an explosion. Thant’s questioner attributed the incidents to “Jewish groups,” an allegation the Secretary General did not refer to in his reply. The Jewish Defense League, whom many have charged with responsibility for the incidents, has denied being involved but has applauded the tactics.