The United States expressed the view today that Egypt should not have asked for the withdrawal of the Israeli military mission but expressed confidence at the same time that Israeli-Egyptian negotiations will be resumed within the next two weeks on the foreign ministers’ level at a site somewhere in the Middle East.
State Department spokesman Thomas Reston, reading a prepared statement to reporters, said “We would have preferred that this (Egyptian) step had not been taken because of the interpretation that may be placed on it.” He refused to elaborate on what the interpretation might be. “It would not be useful for me to characterize every development that takes place between now and the time” that Secretary of State Cyrus Vance leaves for the Middle East to meet with Israeli and Egyptian officials, Reston said.
He added, “Our overriding objective is to continue peace negotiations and to bring them as soon as realistically possible to a successful conclusion. Egypt and Israel share our view to keep negotiations going,” he said. Under questioning by reporters, he indicated no doubts that Israeli-Egyptian talks will be resumed. He referred to the “upcoming visit” by Vance and emphasized, “We expect these meetings to take place.”
ISRAEL’S EFFORTS PRAISED
Yesterday, the State Department said that it “appreciates the efforts” of the Israeli government in the negotiating process, after disclosing that Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance discussed the elements of the speech Dayan made Monday in the Knesset. That speech appeared to present a softening of the Begin government’s position on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
State Department spokesman Hodding Carter said that the Knesset speech “had been discussed with Vance at Leeds Castle, England and is a part of the record of those meetings.” He said, “I want to emphasize” that the discussion was “between the two of them.” He added: “We have appreciated the efforts of the Israeli government both at Leeds and thereafter for the search for solutions for the key problems that must be resolved if the negotiations are to succeed.” Asked whether the U.S. believes there is a shift in the Israeli position, Carter replied he is “unable to characterize” the position as a shift.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
