Carter Announces That Begin and Sadat Have Accepted New Proposals

President Carter announced today that he believes that “the main ingredients” for an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. Have been “defined.” He did not say what the “ingredients” were. (In Jerusalem, Premier Menachem Begin announced tonight the Cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss this development. See separate story.)

Carter’s dramatic statement was made at Cairo Airport after he had met there for 2 172 hours with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and just before he boarded his plane for the return flight to the United States. “I am convinced that we now have defined all of the main ingredients of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel which will be the cornerstone for a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East, ” he said. (Full text in separate story.)

The President, who prefaced his remarks by saying that “I have a statement to make which I consider to be extremely important,” explained that while in Israel he presented proposals which were “accepted by Prime Minister Begin and his Cabinet. President Sadat has now accepted these proposals.” There was no indication how these proposals differed from the ### which Begin and the Israel Cabinet approved March 5 or from those which Sadat amended last week during his meetings with Carter.

Carter, who met for three hours this morning with Begin in Jerusalem before coming to Cairo, went immediately into a conference with Sadat after his arrival here. Carter, in his announcement at the airport, said Begin had agreed to present the U.S. proposals to the Israeli Cabinet. “This will be done at the earliest opportunity,” Carter said. “President Sadat has carefully reviewed all the remaining issues and has accepted these same proposals. I have just informed Prime Minister Begin by telephone of President Sadat’s acceptance.”

Sadat, who stood next to Carter during the announcement, remained impassive and did not say anything. But when reporters rushed back to the Cairo Hilton to file their stories, Egyptians who heard the news appeared jubilant. “It is good,” one woman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.