Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume I, Foundations of Foreign Policy

114. Editorial Note

On March 5, 1979, White House Press Secretary Jody Powell announced that Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin had invited President Jimmy Carter to Egypt and Israel, respectively, to discuss the “peace process, regional security, and bilateral issues.” Powell indicated that the President would depart Washington for Egypt on March 7 and would then proceed to Israel on March 10. (Public Papers: Carter, 1979, Book I, page 383) In remarks prior to his departure, the President asserted: “So, it is with hope that I depart, hope tempered by sober realism. As a friend of Egypt and a friend of Israel, we will do our best to help them achieve the peace that they have paid for in blood many times over.

“In doing this, in seeking to lay the basis for a stable and a peaceful Middle East, we will also be serving our own deepest national interests and the interests of all the people of the world.” (ibid., page 395)

The President arrived in Cairo on March 8. For Sadat’s and the President’s comments at a welcoming ceremony held at Qubba Palace, see ibid., page 405. According to the President’s Daily Diary, the President met with Sadat that evening at Tahra Palace from 7:10 to 8:54 p.m. (Carter Library, Presidential Materials, President’s Daily Diary) On the morning of March 9, Carter, Sadat, and the Presidential party boarded a train for Alexandria. En route, Carter and Sadat took part in an interview conducted by U.S. news correspondents Walter Cronkite (CBS News), John Chancellor (NBC News), and Peter Jennings (ABC News). For the transcript of this interview, see Public Papers: Carter, 1979, Book I, pages 407–410. Later that evening, Carter and Sadat met at Mamoura Palace in Alexandria.

On the morning of March 10, the Presidential party departed Alexandria for Cairo via helicopter. At 1 p.m., the President addressed the People’s Assembly of Egypt, which had convened in the Assembly Chamber of the People’s Assembly Building. Following his introductory remarks, the President turned to the efforts made the previous fall:

“Last September, the course of negotiations took the President of Egypt and the Prime Minister of Israel to Camp David, in the wooded mountains near the Capital of the United States of America.

“Out of our discussion there came two agreements: A framework within which peace between Israel and all her neighbors might be achieved, and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people realized—and also an outline for a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, in the context of a comprehensive peace for the Middle East.

“Those agreements were rooted in United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, which established the basic equation between an Arab commitment to peace and Israeli withdrawal in the context of security. The treaty which is now being negotiated between Egypt and Israel reflects those principles.

“Since the two agreements were signed, we have been working to bring both of them to fruition. The United States has served as a mediator—not to press either party to accept provisions that are inconsistent with its basic interests.

“In these negotiations, a crucial question has involved the relationship between an Egyptian-Israeli treaty and the broader peace envisioned and committed at Camp David. I believe that this body and the people of Egypt deserve to know my thinking on the subject.

“When two nations conclude a treaty with one another, they have every right to expect that the terms of that treaty will be carried out faithfully and steadfastly. At the same time, there can be little doubt that the two agreements reached at Camp David—negotiated together and signed together—are related, and that a comprehensive peace remains a common objective.

“Just in recent days, both Prime Minister Begin in Washington and President Sadat here in Egypt have again pledged to carry out every commitment made at Camp David.

“Both leaders have reaffirmed that they do not want a separate peace between their two nations. Therefore, our current efforts to complete the treaty negotiations represent not the end of a process, but the beginning of one, for a treaty between Egypt and Israel is an indispensible part of a comprehensive peace.

“I pledge to you today that I also remain personally committed to move on to negotiations concerning the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and other issues of concern to the Palestinians and also to future negotiations between Israel and all her neighbors. I feel a personal obligation in this regard.

“Only the path of negotiation and accommodation can lead to the fulfillment of the hopes of the Palestinian people for peaceful self-expression. The negotiations proposed in the Camp David agreements will provide them with an opportunity to participate in the determination of their own future. We urge representative Palestinians to take part in these negotiations.

“We are ready to work with any who are willing to talk peace. Those who attack these efforts are opposing the only realistic prospect that can bring real peace to the Middle East.

“Let no one be deceived. The effect of their warlike slogans and their rhetoric is to make them in reality advocates of the status quo, not change; advocates of war, not peace; advocates of further suffering, not of achieving the human dignity to which long-suffering people of this region are entitled.

“There is simply no workable alternative to the course that your nation and my nation are now following together. The conclusion of a treaty between Israel and Egypt will enable your government to mobilize its resources not for war, but for the provision of a better life for every Egyptian.

“I know how deeply President Sadat is committed to that quest. And I believe its achievement will ultimately be his greatest legacy to the people he serves so well.

“My government, for its part, the full power and influence of the United States of America, is ready to share that burden of that commitment with you. These gains which we envision will not come quickly or easily, but they will come.

“The conclusion of the peace treaty that we are discussing will strengthen cooperation between Egypt and the United States in other ways. I fully share and will support President Sadat’s belief that stability must be maintained in this part of the world, even while constructive change is actively encouraged. He and I recognize that the security of this vital region is being challenged. I applaud his determination to meet that challenge, and my government will stand with him.

“Our policy is that each nation should have the ability to defend itself, so that it does not have to depend on external alliances for its own security. The United States does not seek a special position for itself.

“If we are successful in our efforts to conclude a comprehensive peace, it will be presented obviously, each element of it, to this body for ratification.

“It is in the nature of negotiation that no treaty can be ideal or perfect from either the Egyptian or Israeli point of view. The question we’ve faced all along, however, is not whether the treaty we negotiate will meet all the immediate desires of each of the two parties, but whether it will protect the vital interests of both and further the cause for peace for all the states and all the peoples of this region. That is the basic purpose and the most difficult question which we are resolved to answer.

“Such a treaty, such an agreement, is within our grasp. Let us seize this opportunity while we have it.” (Public Papers: Carter, 1979, Book I, pages 413–414)

The complete text of the address is ibid., pages 412–414.

Following a luncheon at Mena House in Giza, Carter and Sadat met and subsequently made a statement to the press about Carter’s visit. For the text of the statement, see ibid., page 415. After touring the pyramids at Giza, the Presidential party departed for Tel Aviv. For the remarks of Israeli President Yitzhak Navon and Carter at a welcoming ceremony in Tel Aviv the evening of March 10, see ibid., pages 415–417. Following these remarks, Carter went by motorcade with Begin to the entrance of the city of Jerusalem. On March 11, Carter and Begin, in addition to other U.S. and Israeli officials, met from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 3:08 to 3:35 p.m., and 5 to 5:30 p.m. For the public remarks of Begin and Carter, made at the conclusion of this meeting, see Public Papers: Carter, 1979, Book I, pages 417–419.

Carter and U.S. officials met with Begin and members of the Israeli Cabinet the morning of March 12, from 10:20 to 11:20 a.m. At 12:16 p.m., Carter addressed the members of the Israeli Knesset. In his opening remarks, the President affirmed the U.S. commitment to Israel before turning to a discussion of the peace process:

“At Camp David, Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat forged two frameworks for the building of that comprehensive peace. The genius of that accomplishment is that negotiations under these frameworks can go forward independently of each other, without destroying the obvious relationship between them.

“They are designed to be mutually reinforcing, with the intrinsic flexibility necessary to promote the comprehensive peace that we all desire. Both will be fulfilled only when others of your Arab neighbors follow the visionary example of President Sadat, when they put ancient animosities behind them and agree to negotiate, as you desire, as you’ve already done with President Sadat, an honorable solution to the differences between you.

“It’s important that the door be kept open to all the parties to the conflict, including the Palestinians, with whom, above all, Israel shares a common interest in living in peace and living with mutual respect.

“Peace in the Middle East, always important to the security of the entire region, in recent weeks has become an even more urgent concern.

“Israel’s security will rest not only on how the negotiations affect the situation on your own borders but also on how it affects the forces of stability and moderation beyond your borders.

“I’m convinced that nothing can do more to create a hospitable atmosphere for those more distant forces in the long run than an equitable peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

“The risks of peace between you and your Egyptian neighbors are real. But America is ready to reduce any risks and to balance them within the bounds of our strength and our influence.

“I came to Israel representing the most powerful country on Earth. And I can assure you that the United States intends to use that power in the pursuit of a stable and a peaceful Middle East.

“We’ve been centrally involved in this region, and we will stay involved politically, economically, and militarily. We will stand by our friends. We are ready to place our strength at Israel’s side when you want it to ensure Israel’s security and well-being.

“We know Israel’s concern about many issues. We know your concern for an adequate oil supply. In the context of peace, we are ready to guarantee that supply.

“I’ve recommitted our Nation publicly to this commitment, as you know, only in recent days in my own country.

“We know Israel’s concern that the price of peace with Egypt will exacerbate an already difficult economic situation and make it more difficult to meet your country’s essential security requirements. In the context of peace, we are prepared to see Israel’s economic and military relationship with the United States take on new and strong and more meaningful dimensions, even than already exist.

“We will work not only to attain peace but to maintain peace, recognizing that it’s a permanent challenge of our time.

“We will rededicate ourselves to the ideals that our peoples share. These ideals are the course [cause?] not only of our strength but of our self-respect as nations, as leaders, and as individuals.

“I’m here today to reaffirm that the United States will always recognize, appreciate, and honor the mutual advantages of the strength and security of Israel. And I’m here to express my most heartfelt and passionate hope that we may work together successfully to make this peace.” (Public Papers: Carter, 1979, Book I, pages 427–428)

The complete text of the address is ibid., pages 424–428.

Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Zbigniew Brzezinski participated in a meeting with Begin and his Cabinet later that afternoon. The Presidential party departed Tel Aviv en route to Cairo the afternoon of March 13. At a departure ceremony, the President commented: “President Sadat, Prime Minister Begin, and I remain determined to exert every ounce of effort at our command to bring the peace negotiations to a successful conclusion. We will not fail.” (Public Papers: Carter, 1979, Book I, page 429)

After meeting with Sadat, the President told reporters assembled at the Cairo International Airport that Sadat had accepted the proposals the United States had made and that Begin had agreed to present them to the Knesset, asserting: “I am convinced that now we have defined all of the main ingredients of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, which will be the cornerstone of a comprehensive peace settlement for the Middle East.” (Ibid., page 430) For the President’s remarks upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base shortly after midnight on March 14, see ibid., pages 430–432.

Documentation on the President’s visit, including the memoranda of conversation of the meetings referenced above, is in Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. IX, Arab-Israeli Dispute, August 1978–December 1980.