Eban Rejects Beigin’s Demand That Israel Make Release of Pows Starting Point for Talks

Menachem Beigin, head of Herut and a leader of the opposition Likud Alignment, demanded in Knesset today that Israel make release of the Syrian-held Israeli prisoners of war a condition for starting disengagement talks with Syria. But Foreign Minister Abba Eban replied that such a demand would endanger progress toward obtaining the conditions to which Israel is formally committed–obtaining lists of names of the prisoners and arrangements for Red Cross visits to them.

Eban added that he could not imagine any disengagement accord with Syria which did not provide for the immediate repatriation of the Israeli POWs. Eban added he agreed with Beigin that the next few days might be crucial in the effort for progress on the POW issue. He said that, for this reason, he was proposing the issue be debated at a closed session of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee.

Eban’s proposal was approved by a narrow majority of Labor members and some National Religious Party deputies. Three NRP members abstained. The Aguda party and Likud were joined by Shulamit Aloni’s Civil Rights movement in voting for a full-dress debate. The vote was 50 for Eban’s proposal and 41 for open debate.

Eban also told the Knesset that many states and world organizations were acting on behalf of the POWs. He listed France, Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada, United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim, church bodies and the International Red Cross. He said these were acting out of humanitarian feeling. He said other countries, such as the Soviet Union and Egypt, were acting out of “other considerations and interests.”