The World: Mission to the Middle East

WE believe there is an exceptional opportunity that must not be missed," said Secretary of State William Rogers in Washington last week. "The climate will never be better." With these words, Rogers announced that in early May he will make his first official visit to the Middle East, traveling to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Israel. The State Department insisted that Rogers' visit would not commit U.S. prestige to the intricate task of finding acceptable solutions. Even so, the presence of a Secretary of State in the Middle East for the first time since John Foster Dulles visited there in 1953 puts pressure on the U.S. to help bring about some kind of results.

Rogers was instrumental in working out last year's cease-fire that stilled the fighting along the Suez Canal. There is a glimmer of hope that he may be able to find another compromise solution this time. Egyptians are frustrated over the lack of progress following President Anwar Sadat's major initiative of three months ago, in which he agreed to recognize Israeli sovereignty in return for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupied Egyptian territory. Cairenes last week also were angry that Israel has, in effect, decided to annex the strategic former Egyptian fortification of Sharm el Sheikh by building "an urban settlement" there (see box next page). For their part, Israelis are concerned by an important increase in Soviet arms shipments to the Middle East. They are especially worried that recent deliveries include the latest Soviet weaponry and aircraft, which are so sophisticated that they must be operated by Russians. That implies a deepening Soviet involvement in the Middle East. When the Israelis celebrate their 23rd independence day this week, they will exhibit arms of their own, including U.S.-supplied helicopters, self-propelled guns and amphibious armored personnel carriers. Also on display will be 240-mm. Russian rocket launchers that were captured during the 1967 Six-Day War and can lay down in twelve seconds a barrage of twelve shells within a radius of 150 yds. at a range of seven miles.

Israeli Pullback. During his visit, Rogers is likely to concentrate on trying to find a solution to what currently appears to be the least baffling issue between Israel and Egypt: the reopening of the Suez Canal, which has been closed since the Six-Day War. Sadat has proposed that Israeli troops pull back from the canal as the first phase in the general Israeli withdrawal called for by the U.N. and that Egyptian troops take up positions on the east bank. In return, Egypt would agree to a formal renewal of the Suez ceasefire, which expired March 7 but has fortunately remained in effect. Sadat promised that once the canal was reopened, Israeli vessels would be allowed to pass through.

Last week Israel finally gave its "general views" on the question to the U.S. Israel is not prepared to meet Sadat's insistence that it should pull back its troops to a line midway in the Sinai, which extends from El Arish to Sharm el Sheikh. Nor is Israel willing to talk about Suez in terms of a first step in a larger withdrawal unless it first receives guarantees of peace from the Arabs.