Moves to extend M.E. accord

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33438, 21 January 1974, Page 15

Moves to extend M.E. accord

t.V.Z.P. A. -Reuter—Copyright) TEL AVIV, Jan. 20. Israeli and Egyptian negotiators will meet at the Kilometre 101 mark on the Cairo-Suez road today to. start, implementing their separation -of - forces agreement. The architects of the pact hope it will have reduced the tension on the Suez front within 45 days. The United States Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger), who played a main role in securing the Egyptian-Israeli agreement, is expected back in Tel Aviv from Damascus this afternoon, and there are hopes he may be carrying a list of Syria’s Israeli prisoners of war. This would be the key for Syrian-Israeli disengagement talks. Israel has said there could be no discussions without publication of the list, and facilities for Red Cross officials to visit. More co-operation Hopes of progress between Israel and Syria remain tentative, but there have been signs of increasing IsraeliEgyptian co-operation. Israel’s Chief of Staff (Lieutenant-General David Elazar) said last night he had promised his Egyptian counterpart (Major General Mohamed El Gamasy) that the withdrawing Israelis would not demolish civilian buildings. The Israelis are to pull back into Sinai behind a United Nations buffer zone separating reduced forces east of the Suez Canal. No more damage General Elazar told General Gamasy that much had already been destroyed by the war, “but we shall not be doing any more damage,” he said. Whether similar agreements can eventually be agreed between Israel and Syria will be one of the major

points of the talks that Presi-

dent Sadat will have in Kuwait today. Syria’s immediate reaction to the announcement of the agreement was a threat to sever diplomatic relations with Egypt. Talks in Gulf

President Sadat arrived after visits to Saudi Arabia and Syria aimed at justifying Friday’s agreement. President Sadat’s talks with Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti leaders, will be followed by

calls on leaders of other Gulf States. Yesterday, President Sadat spent nine hours in Damascus talking with President Hafez Al-Assad of Syria. Today, Dr Kissinger will also talk with Syrian leaders there, Jordan’s role ; Dr Kissinger is going to the Syrian capital after talks in Aqaba with King Hussein on a possible disengagement between Jordanian and Israeli forces near the Jordan River. King Hussein insists that Jordan represents the West Bank population and Palestinians living in other Jordanian towns. But the Palestinian commando movement, recognised at October’s Arab summit ’in Algiers as the sole representative of the Palestinians, is opposed to allowing the West Bank to revert to Jordanian rule. Jordan is also interested] in getting back Jerusalem. ] Soviet reaction In Moscow, the Soviet Foreign Minister (Mr Andrei Gromyko) has said that a settlement of the Middle East problem depended on a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Arab territories.

But, Mr Gromyko completely ignored ‘ Friday’s ! agreement. In the highest level Soviet comment on the Middle East since the Egyptian-Israeli agreement, Mr Gromyko i reiterated the Soviet position that “the Soviet Union will

continue to pursue a principled policy . . . aimed at protecting the inalienable legitimate rights and interests of Arab States.” London comment

In London, the “Observer” says in a leading article today: “President Sadat of Egypt could be in trouble, both among his Arab friends and his critics at home. For, while both sides have made concessions, Egypt has made the biggest move. Under the

published terms of the agreement, Mr Sadat has virtually renounced any future attempt to improve Egypt’s position by force. This means he hopes that Egypt will do better by relying on American peace-making diplomacy. It is undoubtedly a wise and statesmanlike assumption. “President Sadat will inevitably be criticised in Egypt, and the Arab world for risking another "freeze” along the new disengagement lines with the Arabs in a weaker position to renew the war. So everything still turns on how fast and how convincingly the disengagement is followed by moves towards a broader peace settlement which will include Syria, Jordan and the Palestinians as well as Egypt. “And it is here that Israel will be called upon to overcome her deep scepticism and internal divisions, and herself take a bigger risk for peace. For she will need to accept

substantial withdrawal in return for security guarantees, including the presence of considerable international forces and demilitarised border zones.”