Egypt's map given to Kissinger

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33434, 16 January 1974, Page 13

Egypt's map given to Kissinger

Z.P. A.■Reuter—Copyright) ASW AN (Egypt), January 15. Hopes of disengagement between Egyptian and Israeli troops on the Suez Canal appeared brighter today after Egypt gave the United States Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger) a plan to discuss with Israeli leaders.

Dr Kissinger is expected hack in Aswan tonight or tomorrow after presenting the Egyptian plan to Israel. Ihe Foreign Minister (Mr Ismail Fahmy) said that the Egyptian action did not mean his country had rejected the Israeli plan which Dr Kissinger brought with him on Sunday night.

In a departure statement at Aswan Airport last night. Dr Kissinger said that his talks with President Sadat of Egypt had narrowed substantially the gap between the two sides and he hoped that they would be narrowed further.

Mr Fahmy hinted yesterday that the location of the line to which Israel would withdraw in the process of disengagement was a problem still to be solved.

i Dr Kissinger came on Sunday with maps setting out | Israel’s views of disengagelment but Mr Fahmy told I journalists that since Dr Kissinger was going back to [lsrael with an Egyptian map. the Israeli plan could not be satisfactory.

I During his next visit to ■Aswan — his third in less than a week — Dr Kissinger is scheduled to go to Luxor, (the town richest in i Pharaonic monuments. I It was on the west bank of that city that the tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered about 50 years ago. A successful conclusion to Dr Kissinger’s mediatory mission would be a major boost to the Middle East Geneva peace conference. Dr Kissinger, who earlier intended to return to Washington on Wednesday, was now expected to remain in the area until the end of the week.

In Cairo, well-informed sources said that the Geneva military talks had been postponed pending the outcome of Dr Kissinger’s mediatory efforts. The authoritative newspaper, “Al Ahram,” said today that Israel had proposed a withdrawal in the separation of forces within six weeks, while Egypt insisted that it should take place in two weeks.

It said that Egypt also insisted that any disengage-

ment of forces on the Suez Canal front should be linked with a similiar move on the Syrian front.

1 It added that the plan annexed to the military map included the following points. 1 — That the withdrawal for the disengagement of forces must be from the Israeli side only. [2 — That this withdrawal should be linked with the implementation of the Security Council Resolution Number 242, i which calls among other I things for withdrawal from occupied Arab territories. 13 — Withdrawal for the disI engagement of forces

must be linked to a time table.

Meanwhile. Major-General Mohammed Aly Fahmi. com[mander of Egypt’s air defence [forces, gave a warning today against a possible surprise | lsraeli attack. ' He said that air defence [units were fully alerted to [deal with such an attack and [emphasised that the air [defences were intercepting [any attempt by Israeli [planes to spy on Egyptian [positions.