Meeting At Camp David

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Begin and Sadat arrive separately at Camp David this Tuesday. The Egyptian President is arriving from Paris, where he was to meet with French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing to discuss the summit's prospects. At Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, he will probably begreeted by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who will escort him to the presidential helicopter for a 35-min. flight to Camp David's helipad. Vance is expected to remain at Andrews to meet Begin, who is due 90 min. later from New York City, where he was scheduled to spend two days resting and meeting with American Jewish leaders.

Carter himself will occupy the plush Aspen Lodge, which was extravagantly refurbished by Richard Nixon. Begin will stay in Birch house and Sadat in Dogwood, both located about 50 yds. from Aspen Lodge. The guests' "cabins" are similar, each with two large bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large sitting room with a fireplace. Cooks at Aspen Lodge are on 24-hr, call to prepare any dish the guests order, and they have a list of the two visitors' gastronomic favorites. Sadat, nonetheless, is bringing his own chef; the Egyptian leader is a health buff who carefully watches his diet. Kosher meals are available for Begin.

Some of the negotiating will take place in armchairs around the huge central fireplace in Aspen Lodge, where Nixon spent agonizing hours trying to construct a Watergate defense. Other sessions will be held less than a quarter mile up the road in Laurel Lodge, where the rectangular conference table has been replaced by a circular one. For these enlarged conferences, Vance, Vice President Walter Mondale, National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski and other key officials will be available, as will the top aides of the two other leaders.

Carter is expected to chat with Begin and Sadat separately Tuesday evening and again Wednesday morning. The first time the three leaders sit down together is likely to be Wednesday afternoon. U.S. officials originally figured that the summit, though open-ended, would last only two or three days and conclude by this weekend. Now they think it may run at least through the weekend and possibly a full week.

The talks will not be slowed by the need for translation; Begin and Sadat speak excellent English. But one problem, in this gathering of a Muslim, Jew and Christian, is that their Sabbaths occur on different days—Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively. This cuts considerably into negotiating time. While Carter will be ready to resume his diplomatic labors after Sunday-morning church services. Begin will not participate in talks from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday. It is uncertain how Sadat will observe his Sabbath, but White House officials hope he does not want to go into Washington to pray at the Islamic Center Mosque near the Egyptian embassy. Admitted an Administration official: "We want everybody to stay up there in the hills. We don't want any circus."

Carter invited Sadat and Begin up to the hills to revive the peace process. What, then, had gone wrong with Sadat's sacred mission? Many observers answer in one word: Begin. Warns a senior British diplomat: "Frankly, there's no chance of a Middle East peace as long as Begin remains Premier of Israel."

This may be something of an exaggeration, for