International U.S. envoy back in Israel to resume M.E. peace shuttle

Press, 22 February 1978, Page 9

International U.S. envoy back in Israel to resume M.E. peace shuttle

Jerusalem Lnited States efforts to produce a Middle East peace have resumed as the Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs (Mr Alfred Atherton) continues his shuttle diplomacy, which was interrupted two weeks ago by the visit of President Anwar Sadat of Egypt to Washington.

Mr Atherton returned to Jerusalem pn Monday uighi, and was due to see the Israeli Foreign Minister (Mr Moshe Dayan) for a working session yesterday. Mr Atherton said on arrival that he wanted the negotiations to include Jordan and he would be going to Amman, Saudi Arabia, and possibly Syria during his Middle East tour. A main obstacle has been the wording of a key clause in the declaration concerning the Israeli-occupied West Bank of the Jordan and the Palestinian issue. Israel’s draft proposals on ’his were conveyed to Cairo b> Mr Atherton three weeks ago. but no reply has yet been recieved. and Israeli leaders were hoping that the Lnited States envoy would g;ve them an answer. Efforts by the Israeli Cabinet to take a fresh took at

'its stand bn Jewish settle-1< ments ip occupied territories i I were adjourned on Monday,|| ;and the impassioned debate 11 will be resumed next Sun-1 day. I. The Agricultural Minister!. I (Mr Ariel Sharon) has beenfi fervently advocating Jewish ii settlements in all parts of 11 |the Biblical land of Israel, |' : much of it in the occupied], .territories. i The Deputy Prime Minis-i iter (Mr Yigael Yadin) leader:, i of the more libera) Democra-j; .tic Movement for Change, al: junior part of the ruling!' .coalition, told a meeting of'l . his Parliamentary faction I that the D.M.C. was trying;, to persuade the Cabinet to I: freeze the settlement issue, while negotiations were in .process. Soviet leaders yesterday began, talks in Moscow with! .the visiting Syrian President! I (Mr Hafez al-Assad) to co- '!

ordinate their common oppo-i sition to direct Middle East peace negotiations between! [lsrael and Egypt. Mr Assad’s three-day visit .comes after one by Major Abdel-Salam Jalloud, secondI ranking in the Libyan leadership, who left Moscow last I Friday. Algerian and South I Yemeni leaders have visited [Moscow in recent weeks, as [well as Iraqi and, according ito reports, P.L.O. officials. All are members of the Arab alliance opposed to the peace moves initiated by j President Anwar Sadat of] Egypt Western diplomats said 1 ■they now detect signs of] growing Soviet confidence: that Mr Sadat’s plans were' falling through, but they] were uncertain what action! ithe Soviet Union might take! ■to re-assert itself in the] Middle East.