FBIS Coverage of the Middle East Peace Talks: 1977 December

PPROV D O RELEASE CIA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION AR 70-14 13NOV201
V. 12 Dec 77 N 4 ISRAEL
Visits East Jerusalem
TAl1l1540Y Jerusalem Domestic Service in Hebrew 1500 GMT 11 Dec 77 TA
[Text] Our correspondent Osnat Langer reports that during the break between the roundof talks this morning and the beginndhg of talks this afternoon, the U.S. secretary ofstate made an official visit to Jerusalem's old city. Our correspondent remarks thatthis is the first time that a senior U.S. personality had made an official visit toeast Jerusalem. Vance drove to the old city with his car flying the two official flags,the U.S. flag and the Israeli flag.
Our correspondent recalls that Secretary of State Rogers visited the old city withoutflags, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Michael Blumenthal, who recently visited Israel,said that in accordance with instructions from Washington, he was not entitled to visitthe held territories.
Our correspondent says that Cyrus Vance visited the Wailing Wallwearing a yarmulka andthat he heard explanations from the rabbi of the Wailing Wall. From there he went tothe Temple Mount and entered the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque accompanied byMoslem clergymen. He surveyed the Jerusalem landscape from the Mount of Olives for abouta quarter of an hour.
The secretary of state told radio correspondent Eli Meisels that no political significanceis to be attributed to his tour. He said the visit was an emotional experience for him.He has hea his life about the sitbs in t e old city and always wanted to visit them.
Jo Prss Co erence J
TAlll7 Y Jerusalem Domestic Service in Hebr w 1600 GMT 11 Dec 77 TA
[Press conference at King David Hotel, Jerusalem, given by Prime Minister Begin withSecretary of State Vance at the conclusion of their talks in Jerusalem--live, in English)
[Text] [Begin] Mr Secretary, ladies and gentlemen, I'll start from the end. There isa reason to be optimistic, Now, on behalf of the Government of Israel and the people of,Israel, may I welcome our honored guest and dear friend, the secretary .of state, Mr Vance,to Jerusalem and to our country and his friends and colleagues who accompany him in thisvery important journey to the Middle East.
Before President as-Sadat arrived in Jerusalem, I sent a cable to the President of theUnited States in which I said, inter alia: People in our country and abroad contend thatthis is a historic moment. You had created it, Mr President. Tonight I think it is apropitious moment to repeat that appreciation which we, the Israelis, have for thePresident, for the secretary of state, for the Government of the United States and theCongress in both houses, in connection with these momentous developments in the Middle.East. The unprecedented visit of President as-Sadat to Israel and to the same extentthe unprecedented reception accorded to him in this country by our parliament, ourgovernment and our people. [as heard]
We are now in the midst of the peacemaking process. We are now making a serious realeffort to achieve and establish peace in the Middle East. I would like to stress thatit is the accepted policy of the Government of the United States, of Israel and of Egyptthat the effort is for a comprehensive peace settlement, that there is no intention tohave two countries reaching peace and signing a peace treaty and leaving the othercountries out of this effort. To the contrary, we intend to do our utmost and best tobring about the establishment of peace and the signing of peace treaties between Israel
and all her neighbors to the south, to the east and to the north.