Egyptian move on Middle East crisis

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33154, 19 February 1973, Page 13

Egyptian move on Middle East crisis

(N .Z .P .A .-Reuter—Copyright) CAIRO, February 18. President Anwar Sadat’s adviser for national security affairs, Mr Hafez Ismail, left for London and Washington today for talks with British and American officials as part of a major Egyptian diplomatic offensive to settle the Middle East crisis.

In London, Mr Ismail is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister (Mr Edward Heath) and the Foreign Secretary (Sir Alec Douglas-Home).

The Egyptian Middle East news agency, which reported Mr Ismail’s visit to Washington, did not give his itinerary there.

It said that Cairo had agreed to Washington’s wish on the importance of sending a responsible Egyptian to the American capital for high level talks on February 23. Egypt broke off diplomatic relations with the United States in 1967 after the ArabIsraeli June war, and ever since has accused Washington of open support and collaboration with Israel. President Sadat has said on several occasions that he has no confidence in American policy on the Middle East, and he has accused the State Department of reneging on its promises to secure 1 Israeli withdrawal from occu-i pied Arab territories. Mr Ismail’s visit to Wash- ! ington precedes a reported visit by the Israeli Prime Minister (Mrs Golda Meir) in; March. Mr Ismail visited the I

Soviet Union last week and discussed the Middle East and Moscow’s role in the crisis.

Yesterday, he met the ambassadors of France and China. , | Mr Ismail’s visit to Washington was seen by observers as a positive reaction indicating that Egypt might now have confidence in Washington’s suggestion of a new American initiative in the Middle East.

The observers, however, ruled out American hopes for direct negotiations between Israel and Egypt, or that Egypt might agree to ‘proximity talks’ where an American representative would shuttle between Egyptian and Israeli officials to discuss peace terms. Mr Mohammed Hassanein Heykal, a close friend of the Egyptian President and editor of “Al Ahram” has given a warning against accepting such talks saying that they were “a trap.” Observers said that Mr Ismail would merely sound out America’s plans for a settlement and might want to determine America’s final stand

towards the Arab objectives,; namely a complete with-] drawal of Israeli forces from; all occupied territories. These observers said that Mr Ismail might meet Dr Henry Kissinger, Mr William Rogers, the Secretary of State, and possibly President Nixon.

Concerning military clashes an Israeli military spokesman has denied that an Israeli plane was hit during a dogfight over the Gulf of Suez in which an Egyptian Mig 21 was downed on Thursday. Egypt said that it had recovered parts of the wreckage of the Israeli fighter jet. The Israeli military spokesman said today no Israeli planes were hit and the Egyptian claim was based on “pure wishful thinking.”