A White House statement released following the final meeting today between President Carter and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt emphasized the “broad principles which underlie U.S. participation” in the search for peace in the Middle East and reaffirmed President Carter’s views on the Palestinian problem and his opposition to Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.
The statement said that “President Sadat affirmed that the door remains open to negotiations and that Egypt will continue to do its part to assure continuity in this negotiating process in an atmosphere conducive to tangible progress.”
In the outline of U.S. principles, the statement said: “I. The U.S. remains faithful to its historic commitments to the security of Israel and to the right of every state in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries. 2. Helping the parties achieve a negotiated, comprehensive settlement of the Middle East conflict remains of highest import in American policy. 3. A peace settlement must go beyond the mere termination of belligerency. It must provide for the establishment of normal, peaceful relations between Israel and its neighbors.
“4. The peace settlement should be comprehensive and should be embodied in peace treaties between Israel and each of its neighbors. 5. The settlement must be based on all the principles of Security Council Resolution 242, including withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in 1967 and the right of every state in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries. Resolution 242 is applicable to all fronts of the conflict. 6. There can be no just and lasting peace without resolution of the Palestinian problem.”
The statement then said the following: “The President reaffirmed what he said at his meeting with President Sadat at Aswan Jan. 4: There must be a resolution of the Palestinian problem in all its aspects; it must recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and enable the Palestinians to participate in the determination of their own future.
“President Carter also reaffirmed the long standing U.S. view that Israeli settlements in occupied territories are contrary to international law and an obstacle to peace and that further settlement activity would be inconsistent with the efforts to reach a peace settlement.”
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