Soviet policy criticised

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32567, 29 March 1971, Page 15

Soviet policy criticised

W.ZPA.-Reuter—Copyright; WASHINGTON, March 28. The United States Secretary of State (Mr William Rogers) has questioned whether Soviet Union policy favours permanent peace in the Middle East.

In his report to Congress on foreign policy, Mr Rogers credited American arms shipments to Israel and American diplomacy, with helping to move the ArabIsraeli dispute towards a settlement “The search for peace will require Israel and the Arabs to abandon their maximum positions,” Mr Rogers said. “There also has to be a Soviet decision that lack of a settlement will bring dangers it does not want and United States willingness to remain engaged in the region, despite the risks involved.” “AGREED SETTLEMENT”

Mr Rogers added that Washington would try to keep Israel’s confidence while continuing to improve

relations with Egypt and to maintain aid and moral support to Jordan and Lebanon. There was no indication in the report of what America’s attitude would be on new arms credit deals with Israel beyond the SUSSOOm already pledged by the Nixon Administration. The report reaffirms the no-imposed-settlement principle that Israel and her friends feared was being stretched, despite Mr Nixon’s recent reassurances. "We are convinced that an agreed settlement, not an imposed one, is the way to bring peace to the Middle East,” Mr Rogers said. His report reaffirmed American opposition to Soviet Union insistence on retaining a veto over any future United Nations peacekeeping operations in the Middle East

In blunt language, the report renewed United States criticism of the Russian role in the failure of the Middle East peace talks after the build-up of missiles on the Egyptian side of the Suez Canal after the cease-fire, in August. 1 The Soviet Union has denied that violations took place and said that it was not a party to the United States-sponsored cease-fire accord.

"The Soviet Union has declared that its policy favours a permanent peace in which each State of the area would be secure. Whether that is in fact the case remains uncertain,” said the report.