United States authorities this weekend indicated vague outlines of peace objectives that included the permanent recognition of Israel as a state and an end to the continuous belligerent status the Arabs have assumed against Israel since 1949.
Officials pointed out that as a recognized state, Israel would have normal transit rights in the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Akaba. Washington also envisaged the removal of the problem of the Palestinian Arab refugees, a source of continuous friction.
The question of boundaries was not defined, although officials cited President Johnson’s May 23 statement on the territorial integrity of the states of the Near East. An international arrangement will be sought to limit arms shipments to all the states of the region. America also envisages economic aid on a regional basis.
White House press spokesman George Christian said that President Johnson’s May 23 commitment to support the territorial integrity of all nations in the Mideast “was the Government’s position then and is the Government’s position now.” Christian declined to tell newsmen how this position might be affected by the territories occupied by Israel in the course of the fighting. He said, “I don’t want to get into the particulars of any peace negotiations which might develop in the U.N. or between and among the participants in the conflict.”
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