Kissinger sees Arab Ministers

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33462, 18 February 1974, Page 13

Kissinger sees Arab Ministers

(N 2.P A.-Reuler—Copyright!

WASHINGTON, February 17. The United States Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger) will today meet the Foreign Ministers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and Syria’s most senior diplomat in the United States, in an effort to break the Syrian-Israeli deadlock over troop disengagement on the Golan Heights.

Such disengagement is widely regarded as a first step towards a relaxation of the Arab oil embargo against the United States.

Mr Ismail Fahmy, of Egypt, and Mr Omar Sakkaf. of Saudi Arabia, arrived in Washington last night, after a stopover in Paris, with a message to the United States from the summit meeting held in Algiers earlier this week by Egypt, Syria, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia. Their mission is viewed! with guarded optimism in | Washington. The United States hopes that a compromise can be worked out, under which

Syria would take part in the Geneva peace conference and Israel would receive assurances that Syria would hand over a list of the Israelis she captured in the war of last October.

Syria boycotted the first phase of the Middle East peace talks. The two Arab envoys will have a working lunch with Dr Kissinger at the State Department, having earlier met Mr Sabah Kabani, the head of the Syrian mission in Washington. Dr Kissinger flew from the Florida White House at Key Biscayne to greet the Arab Ministers and, in welcoming remarks at the airport, he said: “Our talks will be conducted in friendsn’p and confidence — the United States will state her own point of view’ with great frankness and openness.”

Mr Sakkaf said that he hoped the talks would he fruitful, and, referring to the Golan Heights deadlock, added: "We have decided to come after being sure that something has to happen in this long, long difficulty we have.”