Assistant Secretary of State Alfred Atherton met separately today with Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan and Defense Minister Ezer Weizman and American sources here said they expected him to fly to Cairo before the end of the week as part of the ongoing effort by the U.S. to keep the peace process alive.
In his talks today, Atherton was reportedly still dealing with “the declaration of principles” which had almost been agreed upon last Wednesday just before President Anwar Sadat of Egypt abruptly suspended the joint Israeli-Egyptian political committee talks in Jerusalem. The American compromise formula–“Palestinians to participate in the determination of their own future”–was the basis of the near-agreement in the political committee.
Informed sources said that Washington wants to put the finishing touches on the declaration and then use it at the right moment as an opportune incentive to both sides to resume negotiations. American officials told reporters they intend to carry on their efforts away from the media, believing that now is the time for practical activity. Therefore, few details of the American diplomatic effort in the coming days are expected to be revealed.
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