Cabinet reshuffle in Syria

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33628, 2 September 1974, Page 13

Cabinet reshuffle in Syria

<5 Z P .4.-Reuter—Copj/nj/ht> CAIRO, September 1. The Syrian Prime Minister (Mr Ayonbi) has formed a new Cabinet of 30 Ministers, and the Egyptian Vice-President (Dr Mahmoud Fawzi) has resigned.

Official sources in Damascus say that the Cabinet was reshuffled to “develop State machinery and review internal developments, especially in the production sector.”

No change is expected in the country’s Arab and international policy. The reshuffle does not affect the key Ministries of foreign affairs, defence, interior and economy.

In Egypt, President Sadat has accepted Dr Fawzi’s resignation, which will take effect from September 18 — Dr Fawzi’s seventy-fourth birthday. The Vice-President said in a letter to President Sadat that he wished to resign because of old age. Arab League Arab Foreign Ministers will meet in Cairo today to fix a date for the next Arab summit and discuss how to handle the Palestine question at the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly. The Ministers, meeting for three days as the Arab League Council, will review the demand of the Palestine Liberation Organisation for the inclusion of the Palestine question as a separate item on the United Nations agenda. Rift remains This topic could well dominate the Ministers’ deliberations because the rift between the P.L.O. and Jordan remains, despite the efforts of President Sadat to end it. Other topics on the agenda for the Foreign Ministers are the Arab-European dialogue and recommendations for the amendment of the 20-nation league’s charter.

! In Tel Aviv, the Israelii :Prime Minister (Mr Rabin)l, has said that Israel would [not agree to any further ' [withdrawals from Arab ter-,' | ritory unless assured that t [such a move offered a < i significant advance towards . [peace in the Middle East. Mr Rabin also said the • establishment of a Palestin- i ian State would be the beginning of the end of the | [Jewish State. [ “To attain peace, it is not' 1 sufficient to tell our neigh-1 < [hours that we want peace,’'.! Mr Rabin said. it

I “It may appear that it is [possible to achieve peace if we accept their conditions — withdrawal from all the areas captured during the Six Day War (of 1967) and the establishment of an indethe west bank of Jordan and in the Gaza Strip. “For this, the Arabs arc prepared to give us something resembling peace. But [ 1 think . that agreement to such a solution constitutes the beginning of the end of the Jewish State."