U.S. seeks to involve Soviet

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33521, 30 April 1974, Page 1

U.S. seeks to involve Soviet

t.V ZP.A.-Reuter—Copyright ) GENEVA. April 29. fhe United States Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger) will today test the Soviet Union's responses to new American moves to bring peace to the Middle East and curb the superpowers’ nuclear arsenals.

These are the most important topics in his talks in Geneva with the Russian Foreign Minister (Mr Andrei Gromyko), before beginning a crucial effort to separate Israeli and Syrian forces fighting on the Golan Heights. The Ministers touched briefly on both the troubled Middle East situation and; the deadlocked negotiations; between their two countries: on limiting strategic nuclear arms last night. They! agreed to have a fuller discussion today, a United States spokesman said. A senior official in Dr Kissinger’s party said that the Secretary of State was seeking Russian co-operation, or at least understanding, for his new attempt to relay; troop disengagement pro-’ posals between the Israelis: and the Syrians. Dr Kissinger hoped to: persuade Moscow to use its influence on the Syrian Government to persuade the Svrians to agree to initial proposals by Israel for a withdrawal and a cease-fire. His talks with Mr Gromyko

are also designed partly to involve the Soviet Union more in the Middle East peace efforts, dominated so far by the United States. Nuclear arms On nuclear-arms control, the senior official said that Dr Kissinger would put new i ideas to Mr Gromyko about how to limit missiles armed I ! with multiple warheads. I: Deep differences on this 11 issue have brought the /Strategic Arms Limitation /Talks to a standstill. Russian /proposals presented to Dr /Kissinger in Moscow last ■ month were unacceptable to [Washington. The next step would depend • on Mr Gromyko’s reaction, United States sources said. Dr Kissinger will leave in the afternoon for Algiers, travel to Egypt on Tuesday, ' and fly on Thursday to Israel, ’from where he is expected to ; relay Israeli proposals on i disengagement to Damascus. In Beirut, a Syrian military spokesman reported today that Syrian and Israeli fighter-bombers have attacked each other’s positions on Mount Hermon, intensifying seven weeks of fighting on the Golan Heights front. 1