Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is “playing with fire” by his tactic of suspending the autonomy talks to win new concessions from Israel, the chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said today. Howard Squadron said Egypt’s decision to rule out an early resumption of the negotiations, announced after a meeting several days ago between Vice President Hosni Mubarak and U.S. Ambassador Alfred Atherton, Jr., was “most regrettable.”
He added: “The Egyptian action reflects the ambivalent approach that President Sadat has taken toward the Camp David accords ever since their signing nearly two years ago. While paying lip service to the principles of Camp David, Mr. Sadat acts in a manner that undermines the very process to which he proclaims his commitment.” The most recent example of this policy, Squadron said, was Egypt’s “enthusiastic support” of the United Nations General Assembly resolution last month calling for Israeli withdrawal from the administered territories, including Jerusalem, followed by the establishment of a Palestinian state in those territories.
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