Details delay peace

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33541, 23 May 1974, Page 13

Details delay peace

(N Z P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) DAMASCUS, May 22. The United States Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger) returns to Damascus today amid signs that serious differences between Syria and Israel are threatening his peace mission.

Senior United States officials travelling with Dr Kissinger on his flight from Damascus to Jerusalem yesterday, said that he was continuing to make progress in resolving outstanding issues in an agreement on disengagement, but perhaps the agreement would not be concluded this week. The officials said that Dr Kissinger was determined to leave the Middle East for Washington on Friday or Saturday. They added: “We might have to recess (this mission) and resume at some later date.”

Dr Kissinger told reporters before boarding his aircraft for Jerusalem last night that “progress was made in certain areas” during his talks with President Hafez AlAssad of Syria which reviewed in detail all the ele-

ments of agreement on disengagement of forces on the Golan Heights front. The United States spokesman, Mr Robert Anderson, told reporters that the line of separation was “virtually settled,” suggesting that other matters were preventing the completion of the mission. These are thought to include the question of a limitation of forces — just how many troops and weapons

each side may have on either side of a buffer zone.

This could be a particular problem for the Syrians, since the proposed disengagement line is close to Damascus. Any buffer zone must also take in relatively large areas of the Syrian civilian population. Border alert In Jerusalem, the Israeli leadership is watching the situation in northern Israel, where a state of emergency has been enforced, with widespread patrols and roadblocks against possible Arab infiltrators.

Israeli aircraft went into action again yesterday against Arab guerrilla bases in Southern Lebanon, a military spokesman said in Tel Aviv. All the aircraft returned safely to base. Arms hint

In Washington, the United States Secretary of Defence (Mr James Schlesinger) said yesterday that the United States would consider sympathetically any Egyptian request to buy United States arms.

In Cairo, specialised military committees are due to meet shortly to discuss details for setting-up a joint Arab enterprise producing sophisticated weapons.

The Joint Arab Defence Council, comprising the Defence and Foreign Ministers or their representatives from 20 Arab States, ended two days of meeting last night with a unanimous decision to set up the proposed organisation.