FBIS Coverage of the Middle East Peace Talks: 1977 December

PPROVED FOR RELEASE CIA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION AR 70-14 13NOV201
V. 6 Dec 77 N 2 ISlAEL
Second, such a demand actually leaves us without the possibility of holding negotiations
and endangers our very existence. The last reason was that direct and very serious
negotiations have begun now. As7Sadat visited us. There will be a Cairo conference
in preparation for the Geneva conference. There will also be private talks. Let us
conduct the negotiations. You have made decisions and proposals and nothing came out
of it. You only made things difficult for us. Stop making things difficult for us.
Let us have a chance to conduct the negotiations.
These arguments were accrpted. The British prime minister left for Brussels at 1000.
He told me privately--he repeated this publicly as you have all heard--that he will
certainly advise his friends among the nine not 'to intervene so that free negotiations
between the parties will be rendered possible. This is a very positive commitment.
[Question] He also said that you also want to discuss substantive, and not just
procedural, issues. What kind of substantive issues?
[Answer] [Words indistinct] to sit in Jerusalem with President as-Sadat. The procedures
do not interest me very much. I want to speak of the essence, of the content. We
want this. We have a draft of a peace treaty. There will be proposals in due tune.
[Words indistinct] I told the British prime minister this and he accepted it willingly.
[Question] Mr Prime Minister, both President as-Sadat and King Husayn appeared on
British television yesterday. Did you notice a threatening tone in As-Sadat's remarks?
[Answer] I did not hear them. I read the press this morning, though. I will tell you:
I do not think it would be wise to react immediately to a public statement. President
as-Sadat made his statement. We, Israeli and Egyptian representatives, are going to
meet and talk face to face. We will then learn the meaning of these remarks. I
was told by President as-Sadat, and told him in return: no more war. He made no
reservations on this position. On the contrary, during his visit in Jerusalem, as
I very well recall, he was asked: What will happen if the negotiations fail? Will
a war break out then? He answered: not necessarily. The question was "if the negotiations
fail." The negotiations have just begun so we should not talk of a failure; we need
not do so either. There is good hope that the negotiations will succeed. Therefo.re,
these are things I prefer not to react to, at least at this stage. We determined...
[Question--interrupting] You are not indignant at him? -
[Answer] It is not a question of indignation. Ultimately, we must not forget what is
happening in Tripoli. However, it is not my business to give out interpretations.
My business is, in due time, to conduct negotiations in the name of Israel. As-Sadat
and his advisers will conduct negotiations with my colleagues and myself in the name
of Egypt. Now, since the meetings will be direct, face to face, we will not also hear
but see and know.
[Question] Is a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance expected?
[Answer] While here, I received notification that the U.S. secretary of state will make
a tour in the Middle East. He will beginin Egypt on Friday and will come to us on
Saturday evening. I am emphasizing this--on Saturday evening. When the Israeli people
honor the Sabbath, neighbors and friends also honor it. He will be with us all day
Sunday. We will hold serious talks with him. He will also visit Jordan, Syria and
Saudi Arabia.