U.S. Announces Decision to Take Part in the Cairo Conference; Expresses Hope That All Six Parties to

The United States today announced its long-awaited decision to take part in the Cairo meeting called by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to prepare the groundwork for a comprehensive Middle East settlement at a conference later in Geneva.

Continuing its officially cool attitude towards the Cairo meeting, the United States said it will have a representative at the “informal meeting” but expressed the hope that all the six parties to the Geneva conference take part in the Cairo session.

Israel accepted Egypt’s invitation immediately after Sadat called for the conference last Saturday. Jordan and Syria have said they will not attend although Jordan, which put itself in a neutral position between Syria and Egypt, may change its mind and go to Cairo. The Soviet Union, the co-chairman with the U.S. of the Geneva conference, has indicated that it will not go to Cairo.

The announcement that the U.S. would participate in Cairo was made by the State Department’s chief spokesman Hodding Carter only a few minutes after he had told reporters that the U.S. decision was still pending because its consultations with the parties invited to the Cairo meeting by Sadat had not been completed.

Asked by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency what had happened in the few minutes before the U.S. decision was announced, Carter replied the consultations had been completed. Carter had left the briefing room and then called the reporters back to announce the decision.

REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE AT ‘EXPERT LEVEL’

The U.S. representative at Cairo will be at the “expert level” on Mideast affairs, Carter said. But his identity was not revealed. It is widely reported that it will be either Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Philip Habib or Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs Alfred L. Atherton who has been a leading figure for the U.S. in the Mideast under three Secretaries of State.

Carter said he did not Know what other participants besides Israel, Egypt and the U.S. would take part. “As we understand from the invitation,” he said, “the object of this meeting is to pave the way for a Geneva conference.” Pointing out that the U.S. will take part as a participant and not as a co-chairman, Carter said the U.S. “will play any role in Cairo that would be useful to the parties in the area.”

The failure of the United States to make its announcement quickly in response to Sadat’s invitation had drawn heavy fire from critics including leading Congressmen on virtually opposite sides of the Mideast question such as Sen. Henry Jackson (D.Wash.) and Sen. George McGovem (D.SD), who felt the indecision left Sadat hanging on a limb.

In announcing the decision to take part, Carter said “the U.S. is going because it believes it can be a useful meeting” and that it is “an initiative we can support” since “it holds out hope to overcome obstacles that stand before a comprehensive peace agreement that all parties agree they want.”

However, he pointed out that “we would like to see all those invited, to attend.” He indicated he agreed with a reporter that it would be harmful if only the U.S., Israel and Egypt took part. Earlier, in the first briefing, Carter said “we believe the more there are in any conference, the more involve the better.”

Carter, in response to a question from the JTA, said that U.S. participation in Cairo without the Soviet Union would not be a “violation” of the Oct. I U.S.-Soviet joint statement on the Mideast. He also said there is no change in the U.S. position toward the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Stressing continually the U.S. was withholding its decision because of consultations, Carter said that the U.S. diplomats “were speaking to all parties about the general shape of the Middle East.” The consultations included the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia, he said. He said this also included two meetings with the Rumanian Foreign Minister. Carter said the U.S.-Israeli working paper, which he described as a U.S. initiative to which Israel agreed, “still represents a useful tool” and is “not a dead issue.”