The US is believed to be thinking in terms of 18 months. Egypt has proposed six months while Israel wants the cease-fire prolonged indefinitely. The US and Israel also agree that the Jarring peace mission should be reactivated. Israel however will not accept a Jarring role that it believes imposes pre-conditions in advance of negotiations. The Jarring mission was suspended last February when Israel refused to comply with a memo from the UN mediator asking for a commitment to withdrawal to the pre-June, 1967 boundaries, Israeli circles believe Secretary Rogers will stress the advantages accruing to Egypt from an interim agreement to reopen the Suez Canal and an Israeli undertaking to continue negotiations under the auspices of Dr. Jarring.
(The US State Department announced last week that Donald C. Bergus, the chief American diplomatic representative in Cairo for the last four years, will be leaving Egypt shortly for reassignment to a post in Washington. Bergus maintained US contacts in Cairo after the Egyptians broke formal diplomatic relations during the 1967 Six-Day War. The State Department declined to say whether Bergus would be succeeded by Michael Sterner, chief of the Egyptian Desk at the State Department.)
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