MIDDLE EAST: No Joy on the Second Front

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Arab-Israeli disengagement talks shifted to a new front last week. Not surprisingly, there was an accompanying drop in optimism for quick agreement. On the Israeli-Egyptian side, where discussions had been successful, withdrawal was under way with few minor hitches. But there was no joy on Israel's other, snowy battle line with Syria. There artillery and tank gunners from both sides carried on a daily long-range duel along the El Quneitra-Damascus road. The Syrians said that four of their soldiers had been wounded in the exchanges. Israel reported one killed and three wounded. They were the latest casualties in ceaseless sniping that imperils the cease-fire arranged by the U.S. Secretary of State.

Muddling Along. Even so, Henry Kissinger last week described himself as "moderately optimistic" about chances of continuing Middle East diplomatic momentum and achieving disengagement on the Syrian front that would be similar to the pullback under way on the Suez west bank. Privately, however, U.S. officials who accompanied the Secretary on his visit to Damascus last month for talks with Syrian President Hafez Assad are pessimistic that agreement will be reached easily or early. Assad has so far shown neither Sadat's willingness to negotiate nor his freedom to maneuver. The U.S. is prepared to play middleman, as it did with Egypt and Israel, but, said one official last week in Washington: "At the moment we are just muddling along."

Assad's socialist Baath regime maintains a no-compromise position toward Israel, which captured chunks of the Golan Heights in 1967 and extended its gains in the October war. But in secret meetings in Damascus last week, hardliners and moderates in the Baath National Command engaged in fierce debates over how Syria should act. The hardliners, headed by Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam, insisted that the cease-fire agreement should be Syria's only concession until Israel withdraws from all occupied territory. The moderates, led by Premier Mahmoud Ayoubi, reportedly were agreeable to a phased Israeli withdrawal. In exchange for commitments to withdraw, moreover, they would provide Israel with a list of the estimated 90 Israeli P.O.W.s being held by Syria. Assad so far has not come down on either side.

Conflicting Advice. Jerusalem refuses to negotiate with Syria until it receives a list of the P.O.W.s. The Israelis worry that prisoners have been badly treated by Syria; they note that 42 Israeli soldiers captured during the fighting were later found shot to death.

In addition to its internal debates, Syria was getting conflicting advice from other countries. Visiting Damascus last week in the course of an oil-hunting, arms-dealing swing through Arab countries, French Foreign Minister Michel Jobert told Syrian officials that he "understood" their positions. Jobert cautioned them against depending on "foreign efforts" to obtain a settlement. Palestinian guerrillas were also vocal in urging Syria not to settle. Their newspaper Falastin al-Thawra called for Arab solidarity against Israel and said, "Victory will be the lot of those who are long-winded and capable of enduring."