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    "label": "Press Conference of Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State",
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    "title": "Press Conference of Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State",
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    "ocrText": "Digitized from Box 14 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nAUGUST 17, 1975\nOFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY\n(Vail, Colorado)\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nPRESS CONFERENCE\nOF\nHENRY A. KISSINGER\nSECRETARY OF STATE\nMOUNTAIN HAUS\n12:03 P.M. MDT\nMR. NESSEN: Let me read you two statements,\nand then Henry will be here to brief.\nSecretary of State Kissinger will travel to the\nMiddle East next week, leaving Washington on August 20.\nThe discussions the United States has been conducting with\nthe parties concerned, looking toward an interim agreement,\nhave progressed to the point where the parties and the\nPresident believe it would be useful for the Secretary of\nState to travel to the area in an effort to bring the talks\nto a successful conclusion. The Secretary's visit to the\nMiddle East will include several Arab countries and Israel.\nThe President has asked me to read you a\nstatement.\nThe President says that he has worked many\nhours with the Secretary of State analyzing and assessing\nthe situation in the Middle East, and the President has\nnow directed the Secretary of State to return to that\nregion in an effort to bring the discussions to a success-\nful conclusion.\nThe President is hopeful that the parties will\nsuccessfully conclude an interim agreement, which not only\nwould be in the best interest of the parties involved,\nbut also in the best interest of the entire Middle East\nregion, and indeed of the whole world.\nThe President is sure that all Americans join\nhim in wishing the Secretary of State success on this\ncritically important mission.\nThe Secretary of State.\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: We will go straight to\nthe questions.\nMORE\n- 2 -\nQ\nMr. Secretary, can you tell us some of the\nissues that remain outstanding that you are going to be\nworking on?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: We have made good progress\non many of the issues. We have agreement in principle on\nsome of the lines, but some details remain to be\nnegotiated.\nWe still have to work out the protocols and\nthe details of the various disposition of forces after\nanother interim agreement has been made.\nThere will be complicated issues of civilian\nadministration, and there are one or two issues of principle\nthere remaining outstanding. However, it is the President's\njudgment, the judgment of the parties and my own that in\nthe light of the good will that has been shown by both\nparties in recent weeks, in light of the progress that\nhas been made, the remaining differences are surmountable,\nand this is the attitude with which I am going there.\nQ\nMr. Secretary, would you say that peace is\nat hand in the Middle East?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I haven't used that line\nfor four years. (Laughter)\nQ Where are you going, exactly?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: Wait a minute. You don't\nthink I am finished with a 30-second answer. I haven't\neven placed my verb yet. (Laughter)\nThis, of course, is not a peace agreement. This\nis an interim step toward peace between Egypt and Israel,\nif it should succeed. The issues between Israel and\nthe other countries remain to be resolved, and the United\nStates remains committed to a just and lasting peace, as\ncalled for by the United Nations security resolution.\nBoth the United States and Israel and all the\nother parties that we are in touch with agree that this\nwill not be the end of the process, but a stage in the\nprocess. Nevertheless, if it succeeds, it will be, and it\ncan be, a very big step. It would be the first agreement\nthat has been made between an Arab State and Israel not\nunder the immediate impact of military hostilities, the\nfirst one that will require some complicated arrangement\nof cooperation.\nTherefore, we hope that it will be a step toward\nthat just and lasting peace, which we are committed to try\nto bring about.\nI think, Fran, you had a question.\nMORE\n- 3 -\nQ\nWhat countries are you going to, exactly?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I am going first to\nIsrael. From there I will go to Alexandria, where\nPresident Sadat will be. Then we will have a shuttle,\nwhich we do not think should be as extended as the\nrecent shuttles have been because many issues of principle\nhave already been settled, but while I am in the Middle\nEast, I expect to visit Damascus, Amman and Saudi Arabia to\ndiscuss with the other Arab countries our conception of\nprogress toward peace in the Middle East.\nMORE\n- 4\nQ\nCan you tell us who suggested a U.S.\nmonitoring team in the Middle East, and isn't this fraught\nwith danger, and I would like to know if it is tied to\nany money agreements of aid to Israel?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: The idea of possible\nmonitoring team has as yet not been finally decided.\nIt is an issue that was first raised and which we have made\nclear we would agree to do only if both of the parties\njoin in.\nWe have also made clear that the American parti-\ncipation would be of an entirely technical nature, that is\nto say, we would man certain kinds of warning equipment whose\nresults would be given to both sides and the United Nations.\nIn other words, it would be an extention of the\nU-2 flights we are now undertaking at the request of both\nparties. Any Americans that are going to the Middle East\nwould go only if approved by the Congress. It would be\nvolunteers. They would have no military mission of any\nkind, and their primary function, their exclusive function\nwould be to give warning information to both sides and to\nthe United Nations and their numbers would be very small.\nQ\nWho suggested it and is it tied to any aid?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: The issue of warning\nstations depends on the issue of the aid, The issue of the\naid in turn to Israel has been discussed with Israel for\nmany months, as we have, for that matter, discussed aid\nprograms with Arab countries for many months.\nWe will submit in September, I would expect,\nan aid package for the entire Middle East, including\nIsrael and those Arab countries that have been the recipients\nof aid last year and this has beenentrained as part of the\nreassessment, in any event.\nQ\nHow much money does it entail?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: The President has not yet\nmade the final decision about the amount that we will request\nfrom the Congress, but this grows out of technical studies\nthat we are undertaking jointly as to the needs of the\nparties and particularly the needs of Israel.\nQ\nMr. Secretary, along side whatever agreements\nmay be reached between Egypt and Israel, will there also be\nthird-party agreements between the United States and both\nof these parties and what will their nature be?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: We still do not\nhave any actual documents that have been agreed to between\nthe parties. All we have are certain agreements in\nprinciple about the outlines of a possible agreement.\nMORE\n- 5 -\nIn the disengagement agreements, there was a\nformal agreement, then there was a protocol that was\nattached to that agreement, then there was separate\nunderstanding between the parties in which the United\nStates acted as an intermediary and trasmitted\nassurances from one party to the other.\nEverything in which the United States is involved\nwill be submitted to the Senate, the Foreign Relations\nCommittee and to the House International Relations Committee.\nThere will be no secret understandings that are not submitted.\nQ\nMr. Secretary, have you set yourself a\ntime limit for this particular trip?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I have to be back on\nSeptember 1 or 2 to speak at the Special Session of the\nGeneral Assembly. That I have to do in any event no matter\nwhat the state of the negotiations is.\nNow it is theoretically possible I might go\nback to the Middle East from there, but I hope that we can\nmake sufficient progress in ten days. But I don't want to\noperate against a deadline. These issues, even when there\nis agreement in principle, the issues are enormously\ncomplex and there are so many different aspects of civilian\nas well as military arrangements that have to be made that\nI would hate to tie myself too closely.\nMr. Beckman?\nQ\nI have two questions.\nOne, can you tell us if the American volunteers\nwill be armed, and secondly, when your earlier shuttle\nfailed, I seem to recall your saying you wouldn't go back\nunless there was a 90 percent chance of success.\nIs there a 90 percent chance of success?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: You have to remember even\nif you say there is a 90 percent chance of success, if it\nfails, it fails 100 percent. We think there is a good chance\nof success whether you express it at 80 percent of 90\npercent, that is just guessing at it. We think there is now\na good chance of success, or the President would not have\nauthorized my return.\nWhat was the other question?\nQ\nWill the American volunteers be armed?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: We have not yet worked out\nthis arrangement. If they are armed, it would be only for\nself-defense. It would not be for military operations. It\nwould only be personal arms for really very immediate self-\ndefense. They will not be authorized, under any circumstances,\nto conduct military operations or to defend themselves\nagainst military forces. If they have arms, it would be against\nmarauders, but they are not there for a military function,\nand we are talking about very small numbers of about 100 or SO.\nMORE\n- 6 -\nQ\nMr. Secretary, will this force be a\nunilateral American force or will it be part of a United\nNations force?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: It is very difficult for me\nto talk about something that has not yet been agreed to\nand finally worked out. In any event, there will be a\nUnited Nations force standing between Israel and Egypt in\na zone of a greater depth than has ever existed between\nthe hostile forces in the Middle East.\nSo, these would not be in direct contact with\neither of the hostile parties. They would work more\nclosely with the United Nations.\nQ\nHas the United States agreed in principle\nto compensate Israel for the loss of the Sinai oil\nfields?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: We are discussing with\nIsrael not so much compensation for the Sinai oil, but\narrangements for alternative supplies of Sinai oil if\nIsrael has difficulty arranging them for itself. We\nwill take into account, in arriving at the economic aid\nfigure, the additional foreign exchange requirement for\nIsrael in the purchase of oil.\nQ\nSo, we are going to pay for the replace-\nments? That is what it amounts to?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: It isn't going to be done\nexactly on that basis, but it will be taken into account.\nQ\nMr. Secretary, if I may change the subject,\ncould you explain to us the situation surrounding the\ntransfer of Ambassador Carter out of the State Department?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: To the best of my knowledge--\nand I am not always told everything in the State Department--\nAmbassador Carter has not been transferred out of the State\nDepartment. We have avoided any comment on a situation\nwhich, quite frankly, has not always been reported with\nfull accuracy.\nThe problem that arises in the case of terrorist\nattacks on Americans has to be seen not only in relation\nto the individual case but in relation to the thousands of\nAmericans who are in jeopardy all over the world. In\nevery individual case, the overwhelming temptation is to\ngo along with what is being asked.\nMORE\n- 7 -\nOn the other hand, if terrorist groups get the\nimpression that they can force a negotiation with the\nUnited States and an acquiescence in their demands, then\nwe may save lives in one place at the risk of hundreds of\nlives everywhere else.\nTherefore, it is our policy in order to save\nlives and in order to avoid undue pressure on Ambassadors\nall over the world, it is our policy -- that American\nAmbassadors and American officials not participate in\nnegotiations on the release of victims of terrorists, and\nthat terrorists know that the United States will not\nparticipate in the payment of ransom and in the negotiation\nfor it.\nIn any individual case, this requires heart-\nbreaking decisions.\nIt is our view that it saves more lives and more\njeopardy and that it will help Ambassadors, who can then\nhide behind firm rules rather than leave it to the individual\ndecision.\nI think Ambassador Carter is a distinguished\nForeign Service he is not a Foreign Service officer.\nHe is a distinguished Ambassador, and he has served well\nin Tanzania. I do not want to engage in a debate in\nwhich his concerns are very easily understandable and which\nwe are trying to handle in as compassionate a manner as we\ncan, and without penalizing any individual concerned. But,\nthere are important issues of principle involved here.\nQ\nWhat is going to happen to Ambassador Carter?\nHe has the impression he has been transferred out of the\nState Department.\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I think that Ambassador Carter\nwould be better advised to deal with the responsible\nofficials of the State Department than to engage in an\nindependent publicity campaign of his own.\nWe are reluctant to put forward our view of the\nsituation because we do not believe it would help anybody.\nWe are trying to maintain a principle that terrorists cannot\nnegotiate with American officials, and we are doing this in\norder to protect the thousands of Americans that could\nbecome victims all over the world if we once started that\nprocess, and not only the American terrorists and students,\nbut also American officials.\nQ\nMr. Secretary, one more question on this.\nI understand that President Ford wrote a letter to\nPresident Nyerere of Tanzania thanking him for his cooper-\nation in this problem?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: That is right.\n- 8 -\nQ\nAnd that that cooperation included\nreleasing two of the terrorists of the organization\nthat kidnapped the four young students. Now, isn't that\ncooperating with terrorists?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: After the event, President\nFord did indeed write this letter, and in each individual\ncase it is a matter of judgment of how rigidly that line\nis drawn and at what point one believes that the line has\nbeen breached.\nIn any event, Ambassador Carter has not been\ntransferred out of the State Department.\nQ\nBut out of his post?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I really am trying to avoid\na detailed discussion of the issue, I think in the\ninterest of all parties concerned.\nQ\nCan we get a kind of outline of what the\naccords have been in terms of what has been printed? Is\nthat the passes and the oil fields?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I don't think I can go into\nsomething in which there are so many items that have only\nbeen agreed in principle, and so many items that are not\nyet agreed to at all.\nSome of the things that have been printed are\nroughly accurate. Some of the things that have been\nprinted are not accurate. I would not go firmly with any one\nof them.\nYes?\nMORE\n- 9 -\nQ\nI was going to ask the same question. Are\nthe reports of the agreement in principle for a pullback\nfrom the passes and the oil fields in exchange for a\nguarantee of non-beligerance accurate? Is that the\ngeneral scope of the agreement?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I do not think the issue\nof a formal issue of non-beligerance is now before us, and\nI think it would be better not to go into the precise\ndetails of the geographic separation until we are a little\nfurther ahead in the negotiations.\nBut it is known, of course, that the negotiations\nhave involved the passes and the oil fields, and, as I have\nalready pointed out in answer to another question, that some\nof the economic discussions with Israel involved the problem\nof how to deal with Ierael's foreign exchange problems in\nthe absence of the oil fields, so that is a speculation that\nwould be proper.\nQ\nAre you going to see Mr. Gromyko on this\ntrip?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I don't expect to see him, no,\nnot on this trip. I expect to see Mr. Gromyko next when he\ncomes to the General Assembly in the middle of September.\nQ\nBetween now and then, will there be any special\narrangements or efforts to keep the Russians posted?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: We will stay in touch with\nthe Soviet Union and keep them generally informed.\nQ As you pointed out, if there is an interim\nagreement, can you give us a more specific idea of the\nterritories Israel may have to give up?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: As I pointed out on other\noccasions, in a lasting peace, a lasting peace will have to\nsettle the frontier of Israel not just with Egypt, but with\nall of its neighbors. It will have to take into account the\nPalestinian problem. It will have to spell out in great\ndetail the reciprocal obligations for peace on the part of\nthe Arab countries. And it will have to include guarantees,\ninternational, multilateral, bilateral, whatever may be\ndevised for the final arrangements.\nThis interim agreement, which we are now talking\nabout, is a step, we hope a significant step towards this,\nbut it will still be only a partial -- we will only have\ntraveled a part of the road.\nQ\nMr. Secretary, in answering Jim Naughton's\nques ion, you said the formal issue of non-beligerancy, which\nis not a question here, but what is Israel going to need in\nthe way of some guidance, and what is Israel going to get?\nYou have talked about the oil fields and the passes.\nMORE\n- 10 -\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I do not think I ought\nto be into the provisions of an agreement which has so far\nbeen negotiated in a rather cumbersome process through\nWashington in which there are no documents yet agreed to by\nboth sides, but only some concepts and general lines, and\nthat will all be apparent when the agreement is negotiated,\nhopefully in the not too distant future.\nQ\nOn the question of compensation or whatever\nit may be called for theloss of the oil fields, are you\ntalking about American compensation, American aid? Are you\ntalking about Arab aid or some other form?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I have the impression, but\nI have to confirm that when I get out there, that the\nArabs are not yet ready to compensate Israel for any loss\nof oil revenues.\nWe are talking about the fact t hat in setting the\naid level for Israel, we will take into account the foreign\nexchange losses that Israel will suffer if, as a result of the\nagreements, it gives up the oil fields.\nI think I will take one more question.\nQ\nCan you give us any idea of whether you\nheard from the Israeli Cabinet this morning?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: This announcement is based\non the decision of the Israeli Cabinet to invite me to come\nto Israel.\nQ\nIs there any question about it? This morning\nthere was a question about it.\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: Yes, there was in the\nsense that the Israeli Cabinet had to approve what the nego-\ntiating team and we worked out during the course of last\nweek and, until the Israeli Cabinet had formally approved\nthe results of last week's negotiations, we could not announce\nthat a shuttle could, in fact, take place.\nQ\nWhen are you leaving here?\nSECRETARY KISSINGER: I am leaving here tomorrow\nafternoon, and I am leaving Washington Wednesday around\nmidnight.\nTHE PRESS: Thank you.\nEND\n(AT 12:26 P.M.\nMDT)"
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