Vance bid to revive M.E. talks

Press, 7 December 1978, Page 8

Vance bid to revive M.E. talks

; NZPA-Reuter Washington The American Secretary of i State (Mr Cyrus Vance) is 1 to visit Cairo and Jerusalem next week in an attempt to persuade Egypt and Israel to bridge their differences and resume peace treaty talks Presidenl Jimmy Carter decided to send Mr Vance ion his fourth diplomatii mission to the Middle East ; this year after reviewing an I Israeli replv to Egypt’s latest proposals. Diplomats in Washington ■ saw the decision as a signa ; that the United States did I not feel the reply — con tained in a letter from the Israeli Prime Minister (Mr Menachem Begin) to the (Egyptian President (Mr ‘Anwar Sadat) — was sufficient to get the stalled ■talks going again. The peace treaty talks ; began in Washington on (October 12 amid high hopes ‘ that they would easily conlelude their work before the (December 17 deadline set at. I the Camp David summit meeting. But they have been deadlocked nearly a month particularly over two key issues: Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: and whether the peace I treaty with Israel will take precedence over Egyptian accords with other nations. Mr Begin’s letter to President Sadat, delivered by the United States Ambassador in Cairo (Mr Herman Eiltz) on Tuesday, responded to a personal message from the Egyptian leader setting out his latest views on the two main issues holding up conclusion of an agreement. The letter’s contents are still secret. : But its crucial role in the (decision to send Mr Vance |on his trip was clearly underlined by the fact that until the text of the letter was received in Washington on Monday, United States spokesmen were flatly denying that Mr Vance or any other senior official was considering a visit to the area.