The White House announced today that the negotiators of Egypt, Israel and the United States will meet in Washington “to prepare for the resumption of formal negotiations” on autonomy for the West Bank and Gaza. Presidential news secretary Jody Powell said no date has been set for the meeting of Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali, Israeli Interior Minister Yosef Burg, and Special United States Ambassador Sol Linowitz.
“All parties recognize it is essential to pursue negotiations to a successful conclusion as expeditiously as possible,” Powell said.
With Jordan’s King Hussein arriving Tuesday to see President Carter and the President going to Europe a week from tomorrow, there was some speculation that the negotiators may not meet until after the President’s return at the end of June.
Meanwhile, at the State Department, spokesman Hodding Carter said that the absence of reference by Secretary of State Edmund Muskie to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 338 in his Middle East speech Monday, was an “omission.” That resolution was adopted after the Yom Kippur War and buttresses United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 that the West European countries now want to modify. The United States has said it will maintain Resolution 242.
Spokesman Carter would not confirm that Milskie had approved the statement made at the State Department yesterday that seemed to indicate the State Department is opposed to any more Jewish settlers living on the West Bank or Gaza. The spokesman said that the statement was “cleared in this building.”
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