On 26 February, the Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Dr. Eliyahu Ben-Elissar, presented his credentials to President Sadat in Cairo. According to Egyptian practice, there were no speeches during the brief ceremony. In Jerusalem, Ambassador Mortada made a statement and President Navon replied. Text of both statements follow:
STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR MORTADA
Your Excellency the President, I have been granted by President Muhammad Anwar El-Sadat the honour of being chosen as Egypt's first Ambassador to Israel, and 1 am pleased to submit to Your Excellency my letters of credence as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt, to the State of Israel.
Upon this occasion, I should like to recall our ancient ties, whose roots go deep into the history of our two peoples. The events of this history are interwoven with our common belief in the Divine. It has become, indeed, a legacy of importance to all mankind, a civilized foundation to all who believe in amity and in peace. The paths of our two peoples have in the course of time converged or separated. Sometimes we have met in friendship, and sometimes in confrontation and struggle. It is our good fortune that today we are witness to the victory of the desire for peace.
Your Excellency, my presence here today is a result of the historic initiative of President Sadat in visiting Jerusalem for the first time in November 1977, and of its consequences - after the response of your Government, and with the aid of the Government of the USA - namely the Peace Agreements which restore peace and stability, and legitimate rights to all parties, first and foremost the right of the Palestinian people to a free and secure life.
In this way, we shall be able to set a good example of peaceful coexistence between the people of Israel and the Arab peoples of this region, removing the dangers that imperil their security, and enduring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.
Your Excellency, Egypt has faithfully adhered, and on her part will continue to adhere, to all her obligations in accordance with the letter and spirit of these Agreements, with the aim to. strengthening peace and establishing good neighbourly relations. This makes us optimistic regarding the realization of the peace we all desire. I am aware of the delicacy of my assignment and the difficulties that may lie in store, but I shall spare no effort to alleviate them, until we obtain (through constructive dialogue and a full understanding of the regional and international situation, and in mutual trust) the establishment of fully normal relations between our two countries.
Your Excellency, at this time, when some clouds still darken the political situation in regions not far away, I would like to reiterate the position of Egypt which derives from her Arab and Islamic responsibilities, as well as her commitment to the principles of the UN, non-alignment and African unity. I am certain that I shall enjoy the fullest cooperation on the part of your Government, or the attainment of the goals I have outlined, for the common good of our two countries.
Thank you, Sir.
STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT NAVON
Your Excellency, it is with sentiments of profound satisfaction that we offer you a most cordial welcome in the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem on your arrival in Israel as the first Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt. This occasion is not only a great day in your, personal life, but an important and natural milestone on the road that both our nations have decided to tread: The road of peace, good-neighbourliness and mutual cooperation.
I can assure you that the people of Israel, its elected representatives, its Government, and I myself, will do all in our power to make you feel that you are not a stranger - but a welcome guest in every home. As Ambassador, it is only natural that you will bring to our attention the policies and purposes of your Government, but it will be your function, no less, to supply your Government with correct evaluations of our Government's policies and purposes. These are delicate and responsible tasks, but I am confident that you will carry them out with success, in the fight of the rich diplomatic experience that you have acquired in the course of your career and the goodwill that you will meet on every side.
The peace treaty that we have signed was not meant to be a separate agreement, but the prelude to further agreements with other countries in our region. Today this may seem difficult to achieve, but many things that seemed impossible yesterday are now natural and self-evident, and what seems hard to achieve today may be attainable tomorrow, if the open-mindedness and the ardent desire for peace that animate the President of Egypt and our own Prime Minister will also inspire the other leaders in the area. These qualities, in addition to the valuable aid of the President of the United States, helped us in the recent past to overcome the obstacles that lay in the path to peace. Since the signature of the treaty, both parties have been fulfilling their obligations with meticulous fidelity, which might well serve as an example to others.
In our region, strewn as it is with volcanoes - some of them extinct but some still active - one of them produces, from time to time, an outburst of lava which threatens to overwhelm everything in its neighbourhood. For this reason, the fabric of relationships that is being woven between us is of world as well as regional significance. We hope, therefore, that all peace-loving nations, the world over, will express their practical support for our efforts to consolidate the peace, and will take no action that may injure this tender sapling, which has just been planted in this bloodstained soil.
Your Excellency, you represent a great nation, which dwells by the banks of the eternal Nile, with its millennia of history, and which has made such a great contribution to the civilization of mankind. You are about to meet here an ancient nation, devoted to its faith, dedicated to peace, which has returned to its ancient homeland after two thousand years of suffering and exile, a nation the roots of whose culture grew, a nation whose language and the language of your people belong to the same family of tongues, and which cherishes the same concept of the one and only God as your co-religionists. Side by side with these similarities, you will also encounter the different characteristics which are the natural consequences of different historical, religious and national developments. Let us work together to reinforce what we have in common and respect the differences between us.
You will also meet here hundreds of thousands of Arab citizens of Israel, who are developing their society, culture and economy in close connection with their Jewish fellow citizens, and enjoy complete freedom and equality of rights. I hope they will be able to make an important contribution to the strengthening of the bridge of peace which has now been erected between our two countries. We are still confronted with problems that we shall have to solve, but, when we look back on the ground we have already covered, we are filled with hope that those problems which still face us will be solved in mutual understanding and peace.
In conclusion, I would ask you to convey to His Excellency President Muhammad Anwar El-Sadat, who was able to divert the course of history into new directions, our best wishes for good health and many years of creative activity; to the noble Egyptian people, the greatest of the Arab nations, our sincere good wishes for its progress and prosperity; and to you, Your Excellency, our most cordial good wishes for complete success in your noble mission. Today marks the end of the chapter of hostility and the opening of the chapter of progress and peace.