On 23 December, Foreign Minister Dayan, Egypt's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mustapha Khalil and Secretary of State Vance met in Brussels in another effort to break the deadlock. Although formally little progress was achieved, Egypt agreed not to re-open talks on the draft treaty and to deal with the outstanding issues in the form of letters to be annexed to the treaty. Upon his return to Israel Mr. Dayan reported to the cabinet. On the eve of the cabinet meeting, President Carter addressed a letter to Mr. Begin urging a positive Israeli decision on the assumption of the talks. Text:
1. The Cabinet heard a report from the Foreign Minister on the Brussels' talks.
2. The Cabinet reconfirms its resolution of December 15, 1978 in all its parts.
3. In accordance with this decision, and its previous announcements, the government expresses its readiness to continue negotiations with Egypt to reach an agreed text of the letter concerning the autonomy arrangements without setting a target date, and a reclarification of Paragraph 4 of Article 4 of the Peace Treaty without determining in advance any mandatory date for a review of the security arrangements.
4. The Cabinet takes note of the letter of the Foreign Minister of December 28, 1978 to the Secretary of State of the United States, which rejects completely the American interpretation of Article 6. Israel will approach the United States government with a view to assuring a sole and unequivocal meaning to this article of the Peace Treaty.
Fourteen members of the Cabinet voted in favour, two did not participate in the vote, and one of the ministers abstained.
Prime Minister Begin said that he would inform the United States of the decision, and expected talks to resume next week. He does not know where the talks will take place, and for the moment at least, has no preference regarding the location.