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VOLUME 6: 1979-1980
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63. Statement by Interior Minister Burg on the autonomy talks, 17 January 1980.
The seventh round of autonomy talks was held in Cairo, and saw the presentation of the Israeli and Egyptian models for the self-governing authority. The Egyptian model envisioned a legislative assembly of 80 to 100 members and an executive body of 10 to 15 members. The council would sit in Jerusalem which would be part of the autonomy and the residents of East Jerusalem would take part in the autonomy elections. A day later, speaking to American reporters, Prime Minister Begin regretted that Egypt had rejected the Israeli model. Nevertheless, Israel would table its model at the next round of the autonomy talks scheduled for 28 January. On 17 December, speaking to members of the press, the head of the Israeli negotiating team, Dr. Burg, also regretted the hasty Egyptian rejection of the Israeli proposal. Excerpts from his statement follow:
I am sorry that the Egyptian government hurried to decide on these matters. I regard (the Egyptians' total rejection of the autonomy model presented by Israel) as an undesirable slowdown in the pace of the discussions and clarifications, and at this moment I can only say that I see a ray of light in the fact that it was nonetheless decided that on 28 January, on the eve of Sol Linowitz's arrival here. The working groups would resume their clarifications... I think that the Egyptians' decision not to consider our model in fact sets us back. I would say, by six months at least, plus something to the period when the negotiations began. I don't want to exaggerate by saying that this sets us back by thirty years plus...
I would say that the great thing in the signing of the peace treaty was that the period of the famous no's, of Khartoum etc., had passed, and that instead of a period of no's we should enter a period of yes's... I want to say that upon the making public of what we are proposing that many Arabs from Judea, Samaria and Gaza ought to have second thoughts. In my opinion they must not miss a historic moment such as this for commencing negotiations. I wish to stress that neither the Jordanians - (in the area) west of the Jordan - nor the Egyptians, in Gaza, ever put forward a proposal like this which contains so many elements of self-administration.
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