Kissinger ‘glib bluffer’ — Arafat

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33775, 22 February 1975, Page 15

Kissinger ‘glib bluffer’ — Arafat

(N.Z. Press Assn—Copyright) ROME, February 21.

The American Secretary of State (Dr Henry Kissinger) is a “glib talker,” his policies are aimed at dividing the Arab world, and his threat of military intervention against oilproducing States is a bluff, the Palestine Liberation Organisation leader, Mr Yasser Arafat, has said in Rome.

Mr Arafat was interviewed by the Italian weekly, “Tempo,” about the latest Middle East mission by Dr 1

Kissinger, which took the Secretary of State td Israel, Egypt, Syria. Jordan, and Saudi Arabia last week. It was to Dr Kissinger’s own advantage to keep the waters continually stirred up in the Middle East, Mr Arafat said. “For several months he has been suggesting to Cairo that it might recover part of Sinai occupied by Israel, and to Amman the chance of regaining part of the West Bank.

“Barrier”

“But in the Middle East question, account must be taken of Syria, which wants the Golan Heights back, and the Palestinians, who want a State.”

Dr Kissinger’s aim was to create a barrier between Egyptian and Jordanian interests on the one hand, and those of Syria and the P.L.O. on the other. “Kissinger forgets that, despite certain apparent differences, the Arab world is solid,” the P.L.O. executive chairman went on. He said that the United States had at one stage decided to mount a military operation against oil producers, and United States and British aircraft carriers were dispatched to the Gulf. But verbal threats followed after the plan was called off when President Giscard d’Estaing of France told President Ford during their summit talks in Martinique last December that France was opposed to confrontation with the oil States, and it became clear that Europe would not -go along with the United States.

It was also clear that Arabs would have blown up their oil-wells in the event of United States military action. According to the P.L.O. leader, it was now certain that the United States would not attack the Arab States, but a fifth Arab-Israeli war was inevitable, although the Arabs would not fire the first shot.

In London, the Egyptian Prime Minister (Dr Abdel Aziz Mohammed Hegazi) has said that his country is trying to “defuse the time-bomb about to explode in the Middle East.” The Egyptians were doing this by carrying on with Dr Kissinger’s step-by-step approach to the Middle East conflict. Asked about the possibility of Israel launching a preemptive strike in the Middle East, Dr Hegazi said he hoped such a declaration of aggression was at the back of the Israeli’s minds, rather than at the front. In Tel Aviv the Israeli Prime Minister (Mr Rabin) has said no defence pact guarantees could equal Israel’s ability to defend itself. Questioned by university students about reports that

Israel might seek guarantees;: from the United States to!; back any new peace agreement with Egypt, Mr Rabin;, said Israel had never sought;, such a pact. Guarantee ' But he admitted that noli State of Israel’s size had! “the capability to defend it-It self from the hostility of thei< world’s second largest super-It Power.” i Israeli officials and news-is papers in Tel Aviv indicate;! that the idea of a United!l

[States guarantee is not being 'ruled out completely. ; The trade union news.paper, “Davar,” said alI though it was no substitute I for secure boundaries, a , guarantee by a super-Power could help towards stabilising the area. I Officials also took the line [that big-Power guarantees [could be useful as an additional safeguard, but were no replacement for the .signed official declaration [lsrael seeks, from President I Sadat of Egypt.