Sadat trip irks Damascus

Press, 17 November 1977, Page 8

Sadat trip irks Damascus

[NZPA-Reuter Damascus I i ; President Sadat of Egypt,; i who arrived in Damascus [yesterday, will be told of ’[Syria's concern at his appar-h ![ent willingness to deal; [directly with Israel accord-; 'ling to informed diplomatic! ’[sources. • [ Syria has maintained , [official silence over the; ■plans for Mr Sadat’s pro-;, ljposed visit to Israel, but the 11sources said President Assad; i [was worried that Egypt; l[ might be considering nego-i tiating a separate peace ;[ agreement. ; [ Anxiety in Syria over Mr! > I Sadat’s initiative eight days '; s [ago in offering to go to is-! urael has been reflected in the Stat e-controlled Syrian; press, which significantly has not reported his recent; ’ speeches. ‘ In Cairo, the semi-official; ! newspaper, “Al Ahram,” has/ ’ quoted the Egyptian Presi-! ’ dent as saying he believed' r the mission was his “sacred | ’[duty” because he had to try! [to break a vicious circle in I L Middle East peace negotiai tions. - The American Embassy in ? Cairo has not yet delivered r the official invitation that the; s Israeli Prime Minister (Mr [ - Menachem Begin) on Tuesday! i [ asked the American State [Department to pass on to ; il Mr Sadat. However, Mr 1 r Sadat said as he left Cairo [ 11 that he hoped to visit Israel [ f within a week. I The sources said Mr

tAssad would appeal to the President to con duct negotiations only within the framework of a 'unified Arab delegation j They also said that Egypt [was in a better position than 1 Syria to reach an independent settlement with Israel, and that any such deal [would weaken the Syrian [case. [ Palestinian sources said [that the Palestine Liberation Organisation leader, Mr Yasser Arafat, shared Syria’s concern about Mr Sadat’s initiative towards Israel for [basically the same reasons. [ In Beirut, the Syrian-backed [Saiqua Palestinian commandos said in a statement i that Mr Sadat was acting i“in defiance of the entire [Arab nation in general and [the Egyptian and Palestinian [peoples in particular.” In Baghdad, the ruling [Baath Party of Iraq said Mr 'Sadat’s conduct was a [“serious deviation” which [the Arabs could not endorse, [the Iraq News Agency reports. NZPA-Reuter reports from Jerusalem that Mr Begin’s invitation to Mr Sadat came I after an overwhelming vol e |of approval for it (117-0. [three Communists abstain[ing) in the Israeli Parlia■iment. v Israeli sources in New [York have been quoted as Isaying they expected the [visit to take place on November 24.