Documents / FOIA release
This is a Central Intelligence Agency release of Foreign Broadcast Information Service coverage of the Middle East peace talks from December 1977. It collects British, Israeli and Soviet press and radio items on President as-Sadat's initiative and the planned Cairo conference. It also covers Prime Minister Begin's visit to London, Secretary of State Vance's regional tour and the Knesset debate on the peace plan. It contains no material on unidentified aerial phenomena.
“Cairo”42 pages
PPROVED FOR RELEASE CIA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION AR 70-14 13NOV201 V. 12 Dec 77 N 5 ISRAEL And in this effort we are helped to a very-great extent by the Government of the United States, by the President and by the secretary of state. It is in this spirit, Mr Secretary, that we welcome you again in Jerusalem. You are not a novice to this city. You are almost one of the family, and we've met many times in this hotel. May I say that the secretary of state actually traveled the same road President ac-Sadat did 3 weeks ago, as the secretary came from Cairo to Jerusalem and then went to the King David Hotel and then we had a private talk. And again, all has been done in friendship in understanding, in pursuit of peace. Thank you, Mr Secretary. [Vance] Thank you very much, Mr Prime Minister, for your very kind words. I bring with me the appreciation, the gratitude and the admiration of President Carter and of all Americans. The leadership which you, Mr Prime Minister, and President as-Sadat have given to the movement for peace is something which history will record for generations to come. I am terribly pleased that I am able to be here at this point to meet with you and to . discuss what we can do to help follow the leadership which you and President as-Sadat have given to the search for peace. I feel that our discussions today, which have been, as always, friendly and fruitful, have helped very much in guiding our steps in a supportive role in the days ahead. So I thank you again, Mr Prime Minister, on behalf of myself, my colleagues and the President. I think that there is a chance of moving forward now towards real peace, a true and lasting peace. [Question] Can you tell us how things will be beginning Wednesday in Cairo? What do you see 'happening, at least [words indistinct]? [Vance] On Wednesday the meeting in Cairo will commence. The meeting, as President as-Sadat has indicated, is an open meeting. It has no fixed date within which to accomplish its task. I anticipate that there will be discussed at the meeting matters of substance as well as matters of procedure. I believe that it is possible in those meetings to chart the course, to pave the way towards an ultimate comprehensive settle- ment, as the prime minister has said. Our objective, the objective which we all share, is that we may achieve a comprehensive settlement of all the issues which have troubled the Middle East for so long and that this step will be a very important step along that problem. [Question] Ird like to ask a question of both Prime Minister Begin and the secretary " based on what the secretary has told Mr Begin. Do you see at the moment any realistic possibility that Syria and Jordan, or either one of them, will take part in the Cairo conference--towards that comprehensive peace that you both say you see? [Vance] At this moment both Syria and Jordan have indicated that they do not intend to participate in the Cairo conference. That is a decision which each must take as an independent sovereign nation. What the future will hold, I do not think any of us can predict. We hope they will keep an open mind and as the peace process moves forward, that they will decide to join the peace process. [Begin] Mr (Malus), I can only express hope that both Syria and Jordan will join in the effort. You remember, in the Knesset, I invited them already for a third time- either to come to Jerusalem, as President as-Sadat did, or if they would prefer me to go to see them., I will go any place and meet. them. But I understand that this is a part of the American effort now. And, therefore, the secretary of state is here and will visit both Amman and Damascus--to try, indeed, to convince the leaders of the two countries that they can join. Of course, it is up to them. We want them to participate in the effort together with us.
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 65 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.