Egypt and the United States formally resumed diplomatic relations Friday after a break of seven years with President Nixon providing an extraordinary display of affection for Egyptian Ambassador Ashraf Ghorbal.
A fanfare of trumpets greeted Ghorbal when he arrived at the White House and he was escorted into Nixon’s Oval Office for the formality of presenting his credentials. Usually new ambassadors are invited in groups of four or five at the East Room for such occasions. “This is a day I have looked forward to since the day I came into this office.” Nixon told Ghorbal. The break in relations after the Six-Day War, he told Ghorbal, was “a great tragedy” for the two countries.
The President and Ghorbal both expressed hope that Cairo and Washington would continue their cooperation towards achieving a permanent peace in the Middle East. Ghorbal praised Nixon as having “done tremendously” towards reducing Middle East tensions and said. “We look forward to your visit to Egypt very soon.” The White House later said that Nixon had accepted an invitation to visit Cairo but that nodate has been set.
In Cairo yesterday President Anwar Sadat praised Nixon and Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger at a ceremony at which Sadat accepted the credentials of the new U.S. Ambassador Hermann F. Eilts. “The wisdom of President Nixon and the continuous efforts of Dr. Kissinger have made peace possible in this area for the first time in 26 years.” Sadat said. “This is an opportunity to open a new page between our two countries.”
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