Secretary of State Cyrus Vance said, after completing two days of talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan today, that both Israel and the U.S. will now have to “reflect” on what was said during some seven hours of meetings at the State Department that began yesterday.
Vance and Dayan faced reporters at the conclusion of their final meeting this afternoon. The Secretary of State refused to say whether he was optimistic or pessimistic about Middle East peace talks as a result of their discussions but it appeared that Israel and the U.S. have not yet ended their disagreement. Vance said no decisions were reached.
At the same time, there were some indications that Israel may now have to make some kind of decision on what was said in the talks. Dayan told reporters that he was “very happy with the visit.” He said that Premier Menachem Begin and the entire Israeli Cabinet would face “not a decision” but a “clarification” of Israel’s policies. Dayan is scheduled to brief Begin when he arrives in New York Sunday for a visit to the U.S. including talks with President Carter. Vance said he would participate in some of the talks Carter plans to have with Begin next week.
Vance said that he and Dayan had “an exchange of views during the two days on how we can be able to get the momentum going again in the peace talks.” He said he found the talks with Dayan “useful.”
“Both of us are going to return and reflect on our views,” he said, adding, “We didn’t reach any decisions.” Both Vance and Dayan said they had discussed specifics but did not elaborate. Dayan stressed that they did not consult any maps and quipped that he and the Secretary of State both know the area so well that they didn’t need any. Dayan said he did not discuss the Administration’s proposed aircraft package sale to Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He said that wasn’t the reason he came here.
EXPLAINS PACKAGE SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS
Meanwhile, the State Department explained today how it will submit the Administration’s proposed aircraft sales package to Congress and how the law–the Arms Export Control Act–applies to Congressional action on it. It said:
“The formal notification to be sent to the Congress will cover four proposed sales (two for Israel, one each for Saudi Arabia and Egypt)….The Act provides that the Congress may, by concurrent resolution, disapprove any or all of the proposed sales if it so chooses. The Congress may also wish to suggest that the Administration change its proposals. However, there is no provision in the law for Congress to change an Administration proposal.” The explanation, made in writing, was in reply to a question asked at yesterday’s briefing for reporters.
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