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 4 ISRAEL
MA'ARIV says that the mission of Under Secretary of State Philip Habib in Moscow and
Secretary of State Vance's departure for the Middle East prove that Washington has decided
to resume an active role in the political momentum and unflinchingly support the Egyptian-
- Israeli initiative.
YEDI'Tr AHARONOT doubts whether Syria and its subservient PLO deserve to be the recipients
of Vance's vists, since the two would notabe going so far in their opposition to Egypt
were it not for the political and military power of the Soviet Union behind them.
TV Commentator Ben-Yishay
TA052003Y Jerusalem Domestic Television Service in Hebrew 1900 GMT 5 Dec 77 TA
[Text) It was officially confirmed in Jerusalem today that U.S. Secretary of State Vance
will depart for a tour of several Middle East countries and will arrive in Israel on
Saturday evening. He will be received by Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan at Ben-Gurion
Airport. Mr Vance will arrive in Israel from Egypt. Later he will continue to Lebanon,
Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Mr Vance will be accompanied on his tour by Under Secretary
for Political Affairs Philip Habib and Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern and South
Asian Affairs Alfred Atherton. Our political correspondent Ron Ben-Yishay reports on this
visit:
[Ben-Yishay--live] After sitting on the fence for about .2weeks, U.S. diplomacy is
setting out on the road. Cyrus Vance, the secretary of state, is taking advantage of
the respite before the opening of the Cairo conference to collect firsthand impressions
of the positions of the parties in the region.
A senior diplomatic source in the U.S. Embassy told me that no dramatic developments are
to be expected, or U.S. plans or statements. In Jerusalem, too, it is believed that the
Americans need the information in. order to reassess the situation created in the region
in the wake of .President as-Sadat's initiative. The U.S. secretary of state will want to
check the chances of the success of the Cairo conference, and what is more important, the ___
chances of the secret contacts to be held simultaneiously with it. If the chances for
reaching an agreement or at least an understanding between Israel and Egypt are good,
the Americans will want to cultivate the Cairo conference and put off the Geneva conference
a little. If an explosion is expected in Cairo, the Americans will try to maneuver the
parties directly to Geneva after a short symbolic move in Cairo.
The Americans are encouraged by their diplomatic success in postponing the Cairo conference.
This postponement allowed them time to achieve the silent agreement of the Saudis and
the congratulations of King Husayn. The delay also made it possible for the Cairo
conference to stand out against the background of the relative failure of the Tripoli
conference today. Now Uncle Sam's diplomats want to keep the initiative in their hands.
They will want to examine the conditions under which King Husayn will be ready to join
As-Sadat's initiative and the degree of Saudi support that can be counted on from now on.
President al-Asad, who also refused to join the position of the extremists at the Tripoli
conference, is now an object of U.S. hopes. The secretary of state will probably want to
check the price of Syrian cooperation.
The Americans are interested now in having as many countries as possible join the Egyptain
president's initiative. The secretary of state will do his utmost in this direction.