Vance, Israelis Describe Talks in Jerusalem As Good and Useful

U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance left for Alexandria this afternoon in a final attempt to salvage his latest Middle East peace mission and end the deadlocked talks between Israel and Egypt. Vance, who will be meeting with President Anwar Sadat, is expected to caution the Egyptian leader that if negotiations are not resumed a dangerous regional deterioration could take place.

Speaking to reporters at Ben Gurion Airport, Vance said the discussions he had with Premier Menachem Begin and a team of Cabinet members over a two-day period were “important and useful.” He thanked Begin and Israeli officials for the hospitality they extended, adding: “As far as the United States in concerned, we shall continue our efforts in the cause of peace. There is no more important cause that we can devote our efforts to. “

Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, who had a one-hour meeting with Vance this morning and then accompanied him to the airport to see him off, thanked the Secretary for his efforts on his mission on behalf of President Carter and termed the two days of talks “useful and good. ” Dayan added: “We are looking forward with much hope to your talks in Alexandria and we hope that after that we shall somehow, some way, have the continuation of the peace-making process.”

Independent observers, however, noted that the immediate prospects of breaking the deadlock were bleak, with no signs of a breakthrough emerging from either Jerusalem or Cairo. Vance’s scheduled return Wednesday to the U.S. has also dampened any remaining hopes that a new Israel-Egypt meeting would take place at one of the Sinai outposts next week.

During the course of his visit, the Secretary of State held an impressive round of talks with Israeli leaders. He met with Begin, Dayan, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Labor Party leader Shimon Peres and President Yitzhak Navon. Following his meeting with Vance, Navon noted that “despite the fact that he sees difficulties (in the negotiating process), the Secretary has not despaired and claims that ways must be found to renew the negotiations.”

POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES OF VANCE VISIT

Despite the almost certain fact that an immediate break in the negotiating deadlock was not secured, other developments in the Vance visit were viewed positively by Israel. The U.S. and Israel agree that the negotiating process must continue and that such negotiations must be without any preconditions. Vance is said to view Israel’s position, as enunciated at the foreign ministers conference in Leeds, England last month, as a good starting point for negotiations.

Although the American and Israeli views are not identical, there is at least agreement on the direction in which the position is heading. The position was that Israel is prepared to discuss a territorial compromise on the West Bank if one is proposed and that it is prepared to discuss questions of sovereignty for that territory after five years of self rule.

Another positive consequence of the Vance visit centers around the Secretary’s successful efforts at proving to Israel that the U.S. does not intend to force its own ideas on the negotiating parties, and that the Americans are convinced that any solution must be based on negotiations between the parties involved. Begin emphasized there had been no American request for Israel to change its position. The Americans are waiting, instead, to see what happens in Alexandria before deciding whether to bring up any new proposals, observers noted.

In that light, William Quandt, a member of the U.S. National Security Council, and part of Vance’s entourage, will be returning to Israel Wednesday to report to Begin on developments in Alexandria. At Begin’s request, Vance plans to take up with Sadat the personal attacks on the Premier which have been recently leveled at him in the Cairo press.

Vance declined to discuss the idea of a partial Sinai settlement, despite the fact that Israel favors such a move. Vance emphasized that the present process must continue, since the only realistic alternative, in the event of failure, would be a return to the Geneva framework.