The White House today appeared to soften its stand against Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, saying they should be “stopped” to “enhance prospects” for a Middle East settlement. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance said on Friday that the Israeli settlements in Sinai “should not exist.” A State Department spokesman told reporters today that it could be “inferred” that Vance thought the settlements should be “dismantled” but then immediately withdraw the word “dismantled.”
White House Press Secretary Jody Powell, who met with reporters after the State Department briefing, spoke from notes in making his comments which, he said, represented the Administration’s position with the knowledge and approval of President Carter. The matter arose when a reporter noted that Israeli Premier Menachem Begin was saying the U.S. is taking sides in the Middle East dispute and jeopardizing its position as an honest broker.
In reply, Powell said he wanted it “understood that our concern here is not a question of public debate on who said what to whom, where or how it may have been interpreted at the time, but it is the resolution of these differences that have existed for years in the Middle East, in a peaceful way, in a fair way and in a permanent way.”
SEES NO CONTRADICTION
Powell said Vance’s Friday statement was “a reiteration” of the U.S. government’s position on settlements which Carter said are “an obstacle to peace and contrary to international law.”
Powell said the U.S. position also is “that prospects for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East will be enhanced if such settlement activity is stopped. This is no contradiction between that position and any statement made by the President, publicly or privately, at any time,” including Begin’s visit to Washington last December.
Earlier, a top Administration official who declined to be identified was quoted as saying that Carter had never endorsed the settlements as Begin “seemed to imply” over the weekend. Powell said the matter was discussed at a Cabinet meeting this morning and the determination was made “reluctantly” that a “brief comment was necessary in order to make sure that the record as we see it is clear.”
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