186. Telegram From Secretary of State Vance to the Embassy in Egypt1
Secto 13103. For the Ambassador. Subject: Letter From President Carter to President Sadat.
1. Please deliver the following letter from President Carter, dated January 4, 1978, to President Sadat.
Begin text.
Dear Mr. President:
Although I was not fortunate enough to have as much time as I would have liked for talks,2 it was a true pleasure for me to have the opportunity to meet with you once again at this most important moment in the history of the Middle East. The process which you have set in motion with your great courage and foresight must now be sustained and nourished. As I pledged to you in our meeting, I shall devote all of the resources available to me to assist you, the other Arab parties and Israel to find a true peace, a permanent peace, in place of the conflict, hostility and suffering which has for too many years frustrated the higher aspirations and capabilities of all the people of the Middle East.
Our discussions were extremely helpful to me as we approach the next round of negotiations growing out of the Cairo Conference. As I mentioned to you, it is my intention that the United States should play a more active role in the negotiating process during the meetings of the Political Committee in Jerusalem. I rely on your advice and counsel to insure that our efforts are as effective as possible and that the objectives of Egypt and the United States remain always in close accord. In that regard, it was particularly gratifying to me to confirm with you the iden[Page 919]tity of views we share regarding the underlying principle of a peace settlement.
Mr. President, it is always a personal pleasure for me to meet with you and renew the personal friendship which began so auspiciously in Washington shortly after I took office. I believe it is a good omen that we were able to greet each other anew at the beginning of a new year. Working together, I am convinced that we can make 1978 a year of peace. That is my most profound hope.
Please accept my warmest personal regards for the continued health and happiness of you and Mrs. Sadat and for the prosperity and peace which the great people of Egypt and all the peoples of the Middle East so richly deserve.
Sincerely,
(signed) Jimmy Carter
His Excellency
Anwar Al-Sadat
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Cairo
End text.
2. Original being pouched.
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840072–1286. Limited Official Use; Immediate. Sent immediate for information to the Department of State.↩
- A reference to Carter’s talks with Sadat on January 3 in Aswan, Egypt. For a report on the meeting, see Document 185.↩