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25 Statement to the press at the conclusion of the autonomy talks in Alexandria- 12 June 1979

12 Jun 1979
 VOLUME 6: 1979-1980
 
 

25. Statement to the press at the conclusion of the autonomy talks in Alexandria, 12 June 1979.

The Egyptian view of the future Self-Governing Authority was broader than the Israeli. Egypt wanted this body to have some legislative and judicial functions. It thought the autonomy should be territorial and not personal and should extend over the land. They wanted residents of East Jerusalem to have voting rights for the council. Egypt openly said that the goal of the autonomy was to provide the Palestinians with the right to self-determination. This was seen by Israel as the beginning of a future Palestinian state in the territories. The second round of autonomy talks was devoted more to agreeing on the procedures rather than entering into substance at this early stage. This became evident when the concluding statement was issued:

The delegations of Egypt, Israel, and the United States, at their meetings in Alexandria, Egypt, June 11-12, 1979, decided on a number of procedures for organizing the negotiations in the months ahead. By these procedures, the three sides seek to ensure wide-ranging and frank give-and-take in an atmosphere of maximum informality. Therefore, they decided:

The plenary meetings which all three will attend will be closed and no official agreed record will be kept. Each delegation will be responsible for taking its own notes, and no tape recorders will be used in the conference room.

The host side for each session will be responsible for supplying secretarial services for the meetings during that session.

The sessions will be held, as a rule, every other week, alternating between Egypt and Israel. The next session will be held in Herzlia, June 25-26, 1979, but thereafter the effort will be to hold them on Wednesday and Thursday of the appointed weeks.

The three sides also agreed that public statements they make about the work of the meetings after the meetings' end will be, if possible, agreed among all three at the meetings. They also agreed that the work of the negotiations and the progress sought in them will be best served by a minimum of public debate.

The three sides also discussed ways to organize the work of the negotiations in the months ahead.

Specifically, they agreed that three members from the three delegations will meet within one week in Herzlia to begin work on a draft list of topics for the negotiations. If agreed, this list will be presented to the plenary meeting on June 25-26 with the aim of reaching a decision on it at that meeting.

 
 
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