Begin ‘may consider withdrawal from occupied territories’

Press, 22 August 1977, Page 8

Begin ‘may consider withdrawal from occupied territories’

NZPA«Reuter Tel Aviv A senior aide to the Israeli Prime Minister (Mr Menachem Begin) has hinted that the Government's hard line against withdrawal from occupied Arab areas may he softened in the course of peace negotiations.

In an interview with • ! Israel Radio, Shmuel Katz, a senior adviser to Mr Begin on publicity, said: “The fact is that we enter into negotiations on the basis that we are discussing, in the case or Judea and Samaria (the occupied West Bank) and Gaza, territory that is part of our national heritage and belongs to the Jewish] people.” “We do not want to give, | up any part of this territory.! ; We hope we will not find it j I necessary to do so. • “But as we have said, if] I we shall find that, in formu-! fitting a peace treaty — al Teal peace treaty — we shall! • naturally consider doing so." “I think this is as far as lone can go at this moment,” iMr Katz said. “I think that ■ in this I am expressing the Ivie • of Mr Begin as well.” : Mr Katz had been asked Ito comment on similar views expressed by the Foreign Minister (Mr Moshe

1 Dayan) in an interview with > ’ i the “New York Times” lastq week. Mr Dayan said that the • current positions taken by 1 i Israel on peace and withdra1 wal from occupied terri- < ! tories we're what Israel I wanted, but were only start- • t ing points for discussions. I He thought that under cer-i II tain circumstances Mr Begin! I might be prepared to con-| >1 sitter very seriously, and; (even agree to, an Israeli! r !withdrawal from territories] I he has said in public should!; ■ j remain par: of Israel. I Egypt has started a series] J of consultations with Arab! Hand other countries on Is-1 rael’s decision to establish . three new settlements on the! ’, western bank of' the River Jordan and the Middle East; j crisis in general, the newspaper “Al-Ahram.” has said. I The Egyptian foreign • Minister (Mr Ismail Fahmi) ■ discussed the two issues'

iwith the Saudi Arabian and (Chinese ambassadors in; Cairo yesterday, the semiofficial “Al-Ahram” said. Mr Fahmi, in a note to the Arab League, urged Arab States to adopt a unified stand "towards Israeli chai lenges, at a time when the] •world community is exerting (efforts to realise a Middle! (East peace.” Mr Fahmi was scheduled to confer yesterday with the! I Dutch Ambassador in Cairo] |as a representative of Com] ; mon Market countries, and | (today with the eight am! ba.ssadors in Cairo of the |E urop e a n Community. Luxemburg has no Embassy in Egypt. Mr Fahmi will also disIcuss the situation with 1 African ambassadors. “AlAhram” said. This will include co-ordination of efforts; both at the United Nations' and in the Organisation of! African Unity.