234 Press conference with President Carter- 22 February 1979

Q. I would like to know what we are going to do to ensure the stability of small oil producing states in the Middle East during this time of instability in that part of the world?

A. I just sent Secretary of Defence Brown into that region, as you know, to meet with the leaders of four nations: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Israel. We have the top officials of Oman here consulting these last few days with Secretary Vance. In the Emirates in Bahrain and other small countries we have assured them that our influence, our power as a nation will be used to preserve the basic security of that region free from any outside political or military power. We are trying to bring them together in a spirit of peace and harmony and a recognition that their own national independence ought to be preserved by them and also preserved by us. As I said in my brief remarks earlier, I am consulting with the Congress now based on the reports that Harold Brown brought back about how we might increase to some degree our military assistance efforts for those small countries, that feel insecure, so that through their own strength they might feel better able to withstand any internal and outside disturbances that are unwarranted. There are some nations that provide major stabilizing efforts. Egypt is a strong, powerful nation in the Arab world; Israel's strength is part of our own security. Iran, we hope and pray, in the future will still be a factor for stability in their region, in a different character, obviously, than it was under the Shah, but we hope will be independent and determined to maintain kind of a rock of stability in that region, impervious to outside influence and attack, I would say, working with individual nations, working collectively to reduce tensions among them and making sure they have adequate military capabilities and using our own influence to prevent some major outside power from having an inordinate influence. Those are some of the things we can do. The last one, obviously, is to try to bring some peace between Israel and her own neighbours. I think if the Arab world in a united way, working with us, perhaps with Israel in a peaceful pursuit, could face any outside disturbance rather than to focus their animosity, as it has been in the past, on Israel, it would certainly be a very stabilizing factor. We derive great benefit from free access to oil from that region. Some of our allies and friends in Europe and Japan rely much more heavily. We are trying to get them to use their own influence to parallel ours in maintaining the independence of individual nations and the stability of Iran. There are a few instances in that region where economic aid, either through direct grants, which are fairly rare, or through guaranteed loans on a multilateral basis or through international lending institutions can also help. That is kind of a gamut of things that we explore and use with various degrees of priority and emphasis.

Q. Mr. President, many observers of the Middle Eastern situation believe that the failure of Egypt and Israel to sign the Camp David Agreements as originally conceived this fall and, in fact, subsequent delays of the signing are directly related to the lack of pressure by the United States not on Israel and Egypt, but on Jordan and Saudi Arabia to join the talks or at least to lend support of the negotiating process. Would you please comment on this?

A. I think in a spirit of complete candor we have approached our limit on legitimate influence, perhaps even pressure in a proper way, on the countries in that entire region to support the Camp David Accords and to participate in future discussions. We have sent delegations to Jordan, to Saudi Arabia, even this past week, to encourage their tacit or public or active support of these accords. I have used my own personal influence to a maximum degree within the bounds of propriety in the same pursuit. As you know, my own involvement in the Camp David negotiations has been substantial. There is no other single item that has addressed my attention as President on which I have spent more time, more effort, more study, more prayer than to bring peace between Israel and her neighbours. We believe the Camp David Accords are a very firm and well-advised foundation on which to predicate, first of all, an agreement between Israel and Egypt, combined with a comprehensive settlement as part of the same procedure that relates to Israel and her neighbours. Whatever we can do - to use the word again - within the bounds of propriety, recognizing the independence of other nations, we have done, are doing and will do to bring about peace between Israel and her neighbours.

Q. Mr. President, Secretary of Defense Brown has just returned from the Middle East and has reported that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, concerned about the role of the Palestinians in Iran, is interested in becoming the region's policeman, as some newspapers are describing it, in return for heavy infusions of U.S. weapons. What is the likelihood for this and, also, Sadat has said he would not use the equipment in conflict with Israel, but how can we be sure that if he is called upon by his Arab brothers to fight Israel that he won't use it.

A. I think Sadat has demonstrated in a very dramatic way, and also a consistent way in the last few years, his peaceful intentions toward Israel. His trip to Jerusalem, his participation, successfully, in the Camp David negotiations, I think is proof of his good intentions toward having peaceful relations with Israel. As you probably know, Egypt is a very powerful element in the Arab world, economically; their population is very great, their military strength is great compared to many other countries. And I think they can be a legitimate stabilizing force. They now have five divisions or more on the Eastern side of the Suez confronting Israel. Part of the Camp David Accords, part of the negotiated points that have already been concluded on the Sinai agreement would call for a withdrawal of these forces. They would perhaps never be used. But at least any entity that threatened to attack another country in the Mideast would be faced with the prospect that those Egyptian forces might very well be used to preserve the peace. I am not predicting that this would happen, but the potential would be there for Egypt to help to protect relatively defenseless other Arab countries or to preserve peace in the Mideast. I don't want to try to comment on any nation being a policeman for the region, nor for the world. I think that is a very serious mistake. There obviously have been requests made by many nations around the world for military or economic assistance that is in excess of what our nation could provide. That situation might apply to the request that President Sadat has recently made. He certainly wouldn't be unique in that respect. As you know, the two nations that receive the most aid from our country at this time, and for many years in the past, have been Israel and Egypt. I think the greatest single step we could take in preserving stability and peace in the Mideast, although it might be unpopular with some of the Arab countries, would be a Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt. That is our top priority and we will continue with that pursuit.