The United States made a strong plea to Israel yesterday not to reject the participation of four West European countries in the Sinai peacekeeping force, an Israeli spokesman said.
The appeal was made during an hour-and-a-half meeting at the State Department between Israel’s Ambassador Ephraim Evron and Secretary of State Alexander Haig. Evron, who asked for the meeting, explained Israel’s negative reaction to the statements made by Britain, France, Italy and The Netherlands when they announced their decision to join the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) that will patrol the Sinai after Israel’s final withdrawal from the Sinai next April.
The Israeli Cabinet is expected to make a decision at its regular meeting Sunday on whether to reject the four European countries. Premier Menachem Begin and Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir have already strongly condemned the statements by the Europeans in which they endorsed the Venice declaration of the European Economic Community (EEC) which includes a call for the participation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Middle East peace negotiations.
Haig stressed to Evron the importance the U.S. places on the participation of the four European countries in the MFO, according to Nachman Shai, the Israel Embassy spokesman. Shai said Haig argued that the participation of the Europeans will help the Camp David peace process.
In their statements, the Europeans said that they would join the MFO to facilitate Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai. But they stressed this did not mean an endorsement of other aspects of the Camp David process, presumably the autonomy negotiations now being conducted by the U.S., Israel and Egypt.
State Department spokesman Dean Fischer, noting that the “Israeli concerns” were discussed at yesterdays’ meeting, said the meeting was part of the “active discussion” the U.S. is conducting with Israel over the Sinai force. The State Department has “warmly welcomed” the European decision to join the MFO but has refused comment on the accompanying statements by the Europeans, except to say that they “reflected already well known positions.”
The European participation means that Australia and probably New Zealand will also join the MFO. The U.S. is contributing 1,000 of the necessary 2,500 troops and civilian observers. Fiji, Uruguay and Colombia have previously announced their agreement to join the force.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
Meanwhile, Fischer announced that the U.S. presented Israel yesterday with a draft of a “memorandum of understanding” on the strategic cooperation agreement worked out by President Reagan and Begin during the Israeli Premier’s visit here in September. Israel presented its draft to the U.S. 10 days earlier, Shai said.
Defense Minister Ariel Sharon is due here Sunday night to begin the discussions on the memorandum which may be signed at the close of his visit. The Israelis are seeking much closer cooperation to implement the agreement than the U.S., looking over its shoulder at Arab reaction, is willing to provide. Fischer also said that since Sharon is on Israel’s autonomy negotiating team, that subject is also expected to be discussed while he is in Washington.
Sharon is scheduled to meet Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger on Monday, Haig on Tuesday and the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.
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.
