Waldheim Says Mideast Situation Requires Global Solution That Also Recognizes Rights of Palestinians

Secretary General Kurt Waldheim has declared that the Middle East situation requires “a global solution which will take into account all the aspects of the problem including recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people.” Waldheim’s remarks, which included a warning that the Sinai agreement must not be allowed to create “dangerous” complacency, were made yesterday to diplomats attending the annual Dag Hammarskjold memorial scholarship luncheon. There were no Israeli diplomats present because of Yom Kippur.

“It is absolutely essential that the momentum of negotiations be maintained toward such an overall settlement, which alone can bring just and lasting peace to the area,” Waldheim said. “Nothing could be more dangerous than complacency.”

Some diplomats said they were surprised that Waldheim had spoken of the rights of Palestinians at a time that four Palestinians had seized the Egyptian Embassy in Madrid. But they said this was seen as balancing his praise of the Sinai agreement with remarks that would please such Arab countries as Syria and Algeria.

The four Palestinian terrorists who invaded the Egyptian Embassy in Madrid and seized the Ambassador and two of his aides, threatened to kill the three hostages unless Egypt scrapped the Sinai accord. Later, after negotiations, the terrorists were allowed to leave in a plane for Algeria along with the three hostages and the Ambassadors of Algeria and Iraq, who had volunteered to go along. All five hostages were freed when the plane arrived in Algeria.

In Cairo, President Anwar Sadat, who had agreed to the request that the terrorists be flown to Algeria, said his government would not how to terrorist demands. He said the Palestinians opposed to the settlement were being duped by the Soviet Union and Syria.