197. Telegram From Secretary of State Vance to the White House and the Department of State1
Secto 1020. White House for the President and Dr. Brzezinski. Department for the Acting Secretary and Peter Tarnoff. Subject: Drafts of Declaration of Principles.
1. Following are texts of the Israeli and the Egyptian drafts of declaration of principles which were tabled by Dayan and Kamel in the closed session of the Political Committee meeting at noon today.
[Page 951]2. Israeli draft:
Following the historic events in the Middle East, the visit of President Sadat to Jerusalem and the reception accorded to him by the people, the Parliament and the Government of Israel, and the visit of Prime Minister Menachem Begin to Ismailia on 25 December 1977, and the meetings between their colleagues and advisers, the Foreign Ministers of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel having met in Jerusalem have agreed on the following declaration of principles to govern the negotiation of a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East:
1. The Governments of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Israel are determined to continue their efforts to reach a comprehensive peace settlement in the region.
2. Within the framework of such a settlement, the two governments express their willingness to negotiate peace treaties on the basis of the principles envisaged in the Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.
3. The two governments agreed that the establishment of the just and lasting peace requires actions for the fulfillment of the following:
(A) Withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the 1967 conflict;
(B) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;
(C) Guaranteeing freedom of navigation through international waterways in the area;
(D) Achieving a just settlement of the refugee problem;
(E) Guaranteeing the territorial inviolability and political independence of every state in the area through measures including the establishment of demilitarized zones.
4. The just solution of the problem of the Palestinian Arabs residing in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, will find its expression in administrative autonomy—self rule.
End Israeli draft.
3. Egyptian draft:
The Governments of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Israel are determined to continue their effort to reach a comprehensive peace settlement in the region.
Within the framework of such a settlement, they express their willingness to negotiate peace agreements on the basis of the full implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 in all their parts.
The two sides agreed that the establishment of this just and lasting peace requires the fulfillment of the following:
[Page 952]1. Withdrawal of Israel from Sinai, the Golan, the West Bank and Gaza in accordance with Resolution 242 and the principle of inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by war.
2. The necessity for guaranteeing the territorial inviolability and political independence of every state in the area through measures to be agreed upon between the parties according to the principle of reciprocity.
3. Respect of the right of all states in the area to sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.
4. The achievement of a just settlement of the Palestinian problem in all its aspects on the basis of the right to self-determination, through talks in which Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the representatives of the Palestinian people would participate.
5. Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and the establishment of peaceful relations among all the states in the area through the conclusion of peace treaties in accordance with the United Nations Charter.
End Egyptian draft.
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P850033–0482. Secret; Niact Immediate; Nodis.↩