Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan said today that the joint Israeli-Egyptian political committee may be without an agreed agenda when it convenes for its first session in Jerusalem next Monday. In that case, the committee’s first task will be to prepare one, Dayan told reporters at Ben Gurion Airport prior to his departure for his four-day official visit to Italy.
He said Israel has already submitted its proposed agenda the first item of which is the settlements in Sinai. He said the proposed agenda of the Egyptians contains some paints that are acceptable and others that are not. He said the political committee may have two Israeli and two Egyptian plans to consider when it meets and he hoped an agenda would be agreed on beforehand.
Dayan said the Egyptians are well aware of Israel’s position that the settlements in Sinai should remain there under Israeli protection and administration after a peace treaty is signed. The political committee will be chaired an a rotating basis by Dayan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohmmed Ibrihim Kaamel. Dayan will be in Italy for several days. He is expected to meet the Pope Thursday.
SCHEDULE FOR MILITARY COMMITTEE
Meanwhile, preparations have been completed for the joint military committee meetings to begin in Cairo Wednesday afternoon. The Israeli delegation, headed by Defense Minister Ezer Weizman, will leave for Cairo Wednesday morning. The talks will take place at the Al Tahara Palace, a former residence of the late King Forouk.
It was learned that one session will be held Wednesday, two on Thursday and another, if needed, on Friday. But the Israeli delegation is expected to return to Israel Thursday night for the weekend. The talks will be resumed Monday, January 16, when the political committee convenes in Jerusalem. Maariv reported today that the scope of the military committee’s deliberations has been expanded to discuss the future of the Sinai settlements in addition to purely military and defense problems.
The Israeli delegation to Cairo will include a representative of the Foreign Ministry, Moshe Sassoon, a senior officer of the military Judge Advocate’s Office and a spokesman, David Kulick. The Israeli negotiating position got its final teaches yesterday at a meeting between Weizman and Premier Menachem Begin. The meeting was attended by Chief of Staff Gen. Mordechai Gur and Gen. Abraham Tamir who was a member of the three-man Israeli negotiating team at last month’s Cairo conference.
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