President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, in an interview published today in Le Monde, repeated his ultimatum to Israel to come up with major concessions on all Arab fronts–including recognition of and negotiations with the PLO-within the next three months or face a new war; denounced the Soviet Union for failure to deliver military and economic aid to Egypt and for opposing even limited military action against Israel; predicted that the U.S. will soon recognize the PLO; and praised Henry A. Kissinger as the shrewdest; most moderate and most honest U.S. Secretary of State in 20 years.
In his far-ranging interview, the Egyptian leg was especially harsh toward the Soviet Union and said the alleged reneging by Moscow on arms deliveries may lead Egypt to break off the Soviet Egyptian friendship pact.
EGYPT WILL MAKE NO CONCESSIONS
His hard line toward Israel was similar to his remarks published in the Beirut newspaper, An Nahar, a week ago but was even more explicit as to what Israel must do to avoid war and what it could expect in return. Sadat declared that Egypt will make no concessions whatever for Israel’s return of the strategic Mitla and Gidi passes in Sinai and the Abu Rodeis oil fields because “I have nothing to offer for the restitution of a territory which belongs to us rightfully.”
He said Israel must return the Golan Heights “which have always belonged to Syria” and the West Bank, Israel must recognize the Palestine Liberation organization and negotiate with it, Sadat said. “No peace is possible in the Near East as long as the Palestinian problem is not resolved. It is ridiculous to use the argument of terrorism to refuse all negotiations with the PLO… So saying, I can assure you that Washington will not wait much longer before recognizing the PLO,” Then, should Israel refuse to come to the conference table with the PLO, “only the path of war will remain, “Sadat said.
He also said that “If they (the Israelis) stubbornly continue wanting the Golan Heights, we are going in escapably towards a new war.”Sadat asserted that if Israel failed to meet his deadline “I would demand an immediate meeting of the Geneva conference…. If Israel refuse to negotiate a global settlement (at Geneva) We would have no other recourse but war.”
PREFERS A-PEACEFUL SOLUTION
He stressed, however, that he preferred a peaceful solution. Asked if far-reaching concessions from Israel in return for total peace would bring about normal diplomatic relations with the Arab countries, Sadat replied, “I am ready to conclude a peace agreement with Israel and to respect commitments stemming from such an agreement. However, I think it is still too early to speak of diplomatic relations and open frontiers.”
He said that the Soviet Union and the United States should play the role of protectors of peace in the Middle East and invite the PLO to the conference table.
Referring repeatedly to the American secretary of State as “Henry,” Sadat said “he respected all his commitments to us. It’s true that Watergate and the U.S. internal crisis have slowed down his peace efforts, But I am certain he will not disappoint us.” He said that of the U.S. secretaries of state he has dealt with-John Foster Dulles, Dean Rusk and William P. Rogers-“Dr. Kissinger has shown him self to be the shrewdest, the most moderate in his judgments and the most honest.”
CRITICAL OF U.S. GUNBOAT POLICY
However, the Egyptian leader was critical of Kissinger’s recent warning that the U.S. would not rule out force to secure Arab oil sources under extreme circumstances, “the gunboat policy of the 19th century is impossible in the present world situation. Let the United States be warned: The Arabs will set fire to their oil wells if they are victims of armed aggression,” Sadat said.
Regarding the Soviet Union, he said that Moscow has failed to help Egypt overcome the effects of the Oct. 1973 war. “They turn a deaf ear to all request for economic aid despite the fact that our financial problems are one thousand times more dramatic than those felt by our Syrian brothers,” Sadat said in an apparent reference to heavy Soviet military and economic assistance to Damascus.
He said Egypt’s differences with Moscow “are extended to many areas-military, economic and political. First of all, they were and are hostile to any military action, even limited, against Israel, “he said,
Sadat said one purpose of his state visit to France which begins next week is to seek new arms, “King Faisal has already bought in France for our use, important quantities of military material. We would like to have more, ” Sadat said, He said he would also like to negotiate with France the construction of an atomic power plant to compensate for the oil-poor condition of his country which he described as “95 percent desert.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
