Bid to bring Arabs and Israelis to peace table

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33408, 14 December 1973, Page 9

Bid to bring Arabs and Israelis to peace table

GV.Z. Press Association—Copyrigh

LONDON, December 13.

The United States Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger), still heavily guarded because of death threats, left London by air today on a Middle East mission aimed at persuading the Arabs and the Israelis to meet at the peace table in Geneva next week.

Dr Kissinger plans to have talks with Government leaders in Algeria and Egypt on the first day of his four-day tour of the capitals of seven nations—his second peace mission to the region since the end of the 17-day Middle East war of last October.

He intends also to visit Saudi Arabia. Syria. •Jordan. Lebanon, and Israel before going to Geneva for the proposed opening, on Tuesday, of a full-scale peace conference. Dr Kissinger’s trip to five countries in the region last month led to Arab and Israeli approval of a six-point truce plan aimed at solidifying the cease-fire and laying the groundwork for the Geneva talks. Israeli and Egyptian negotiators settled five of the six; points in ensuing talks, but broke off the discussions two weeks ago, when they failed to agree on troop with-j drawals. A Government spokesman; in Tel Aviv said today that the Israeli Cabinet would meet tomorrow to decide whether to attend the talks. President Sadat has already ; concerted Egypt’s conference! position with Syria, her front-; line ally in the October war. President Assad of Syria was! in Cairo earlier in the week.;

principally to co-ordinate diplomatic and military strategy. but he also helped to patch up Egypt’s tattered relations with Libya: last night the Libyan Prime Minister, Major Abdel Salam Jalloud, arrived in Cairo. No reason has been given for the visit, which will place Major Jalloud in a good

position to act as the ears (of his leader, Colonel Gadaffi, (during the Sadat-Kissinger talks. The young Libyan leader has been the most energetic critic of Arab policy in the October war, denouncing Pre-; sident Sadat for not consult-; ing him in advance, and later; denouncing the cease-fire in no-less-angry language. In what is regarded as part; of the preparation for the( next phase of the Middle | East crisis, come peace or war, Egypt last night appoin-l ted a new Chief of Staff, Major-General Mohammed Gamasy, the man who negotiated with Israel at the Kilometre 101 Mark talks. Strict security has been arranged at all "points in Dr Kissinger’s itinerary because of word from the State Department in Washington of serious threats against his

i life, in spite of which Dr Kissinger has extended his 'Middle East tour to include Algeria, one of the most 'militant Arab States. i Dr Kissinger faces some 'tough bargaining to get the iGeneva talks under way: the Israeli Minister of Defence (General Moshe Dayan) has threatened an Israeli boycott unless Syria releases a list of an estimated 102 troops captured in the recent war, and the Syrians so far have refused to discuss the matter. There is speculation that Dr Kissinger will announce the restoration of diplomatic relations between Algeria and the United States, which Algeria broke during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Algeria has been a highlyvocal supporter of the Arab cause against Israel, though she has contributed little else to the fight.