^50AF Libya 300ME Tunisia 50!)Ms Malta 35c Turkey. 2 5TL Bahrain. 500Fs Momor 50 UA£: 50 Canada'1 75S Nigeria: 75K UK 5 Op Cyp(us:40OMs Oman __. Egypi. 50Ps USA 1.75S Pakistan: 8Rps Elfitop^a. 2.5Elh,S VemenlAdenl. 0.400 Qatar: 5fis France 7 50FF Temen (Sanaa) 5fis Saudi Arabia: 5fis Iran lOOfis Somalia: 6/ Iraq. 300Fs Sudan: 4flPs I'aly I200L Jordan 400Fs Syna.ASL Kuwa(lr400Fs Lebanon: 4U JULY 1979 No. 57 worry Arabs 8 Letters to the Editor COVER STORY question, but the number 16 UNEF: will It police treaty? of people is still expected NEWS IN PERSPECTIVE 17 Egypt: Sadat's eiection 25 Exclusive interview: to double in the next PLC's Arafat speaks out 10 Iraq's foreign headaches win quarter century. 11 Iran's troubled cycle 17 Africans balk at more 12 UAE and the neighbours support for Arabs MOSAIC 12 Carter's ME team shrinks 16 Sahara: renewed efforts 28 Focus on the occupied 81 People/IPPF's Aziza 13 US-Sovlet summit stands 20 Sayings of the month lands: autonomy talks Hussein 30 Focus on the occupied 83 Literature/Maghout's lands: settlements wrath 33 Focus on the occupied 84 Behaviour/Jordan's iands: the peopie desert police 38 Cyprus: on-going saga 85 Cinema/Algeria's 45 Kuwait: another try for Ailouache democracy 74 Environment/UAE 48 Capucci: servant, father, conservation friend 75 Art/Moufarrege's new 50 Islam: success of political form organisation 77 Crafts/Lebanon's potters 78 Reverie FORUM 53 Egypt's ex-Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmi 80 Iran budget problems 81 Japan's stake in Bandar Shahpur 82 Exclusive interview: Libya's Izzeddin Mabrouk In a frank discussion with The Middle East, Fahmi outlines his views on the efforts to resolve the Arab- Israel conflict. SPECIAL REPORT 57 The Arab population The out-spoken Libyan Oil boom Secretary talks to The Middle East on pricing, timing and exploration policies. 84 AFESD: what the changes COVER STORY: will mean The Palestinian me additional strength," 88 Morocco: back-breaking commando movement is he declared. austerity 87 Money column facing a crucial moment in The Middle East also 88 Euro-Arab dialogue: its history, but FLO leader focusses on the situation the "big sleep" Yasser Arafat spoke to in the occupied lands, and 90 Arab Common Market: Editor-in-Chief Raphael talks to Arch-bishop Platonic ideal The Arab countries are Calls of his determination Hilarion Capucci whose 92 Algeria-Belgium plans for to forge ahead: "Any blow dream is to return to his reacting in a variety of gas that fails to kill me gives Jerusalem diocese. ways to the population 93 Iraq's nuclear quest 6 THE MIDDLE EAST JULY 1979 When Anwar Sadat announced his "sacred mission" to Jerusalem in November 1977, Ismail Fahmi resigned from his post as Foreign Minister. Today, Fahmi is writing his memoirs from his memento-filled apartment overlooking the Nile in the Cairo suburb of Zamalek. Next to Sadat only Fahmi knows the intimate details of how the world powers conducted their Middle East diplomacy from before the October war until Egypt's decision to make a bilateral arrangement with Israel. Ismail Fahmi rarely grants interviews. He has said very little in public since his resignation. But at the end of April he agreed to discuss Middle East developments with Mark Bruzonsky. EGYPT'S EX-FOREIGN MINISTER ISMAIL FAHMI Bruzonsky: When President Sadat first have the Geneva Conference convened. And went to Israel, do you think he had in they were going to succeed! There is no mind what most people consider to be a doubt about it! separate peace? Or did he realise later First they were going to have all the that this was the most he could get? parties go to Geneva and sit and negotiate Fahmi: One of the main reasons why I sometime in the last week of December refused to join President Sadat is that the 1977. And the Russians were going to only thing which could come from such a participate. visit was a separate agreement. President Carter himself had prepared • You had no hope in October 1977 that the whole thing - procedurally and sub• there could be a psychological break• stantively. Concurrently, President Carter through to a comprehensive settle• and Cyrus Vance negotiated for a long time ment? You foresaw this separate agree• with the Russians about a framework for ment? solving the Middle East crisis once and for O Certainly, because there was nothing all. Then the Joint Statement came on the else. People try to justify major political first of October 1977. It was the real steps on a psychological basis, but I don't framework for a comprehensive settlement, believe that politicians become psy• with all parties concerned attending and the chiatrists. two superpowers as co-chairmen. As a politician I deal with things on a And this is why President Carter and his pragmatic basis, especially when these colleagues were reluctant at the beginning to things affect human lives, the future of a support President Sadat's trip to Jerusalem. whole population, the national security of They waited a little to watch things, hut nations, justice, international law, or when they examined the pros and cons they treaties. It was clear that the Israelis could had no choice but to support it. not risk their national security and their Here is the biggest Arab country in the philosophy just for a psychological effect or area offering a separate peace with Israel, so to break psychological barriers. why the hell shouldn't the Americans profit All this is an invention to justify certain do you think Carter agreed to a from this, bearing in mind their own inter• actions. When I deal with things I deal with separate agreement after insisting so nal problems with the Jewish community them as they are. I don't dream. This is a strongly that there should be a compre• and the Jewish lobby? new thing as far as I am concerned and I'm hensive settlement and a Palestinian • If Sadat knew that Geneva was to be not going to take part in it. homeland? convened in a few months and that the • You negotiated with the new Carter O Right up to President Sadat's visit to Americans and the Russians were Administration for almost a year before Israel President Carter, Cyrus Vance and serious about pushing for a com• you left the Egyptian Government. Why their colleagues were working very hard to prehensive settlement, he must have in- 'I propose t¥fO-year UN trusteeship for Palestine' THE MIDDLE EAST JULY 1979 53 FORUM tentionally set out to abort that pro• principles is different. think a hundred times before launching any cess. • The treaty has a large military com• pre-emptive war or ever threatening to use O No, I don't believe Sadat did this in• ponent and there has been some dis• force. Instead Israel would concentrate on tentionally, because Egypt was co-operating cussion that the Americans are plann• peaceful methods. with President Carter formally on the con• ing to buttress their military potential On the other hand, if Egypt is wecik vening of Geneva. We were not against it. in the Middle East in three ways: by militarily it will he in a very bad position to We even accepted the single Arab strengthening Israel as a potential arm negotiate peace. The result of negotiations delegation and the whole Carter formula. of Western military might; by will reflect this weakness. Egypt would be • Is that how the FLO problem was strengthening Egypt as a potential gen• negotiating under duress, and Israel would going to he solved with FLO people darme in the Middle East and North have the upper hand in negotiating about coming as part of that one delegation? Africa; hy a 5th Fleet and the the Palestinians. O Exactly. And before that you may preparation of American contingency This means it will never be a permanent remember again that President Carter in forces. peace. Egypt, itself, when it gets stronger or August 1977 took the unusual step of pro• O (long, unusual pause) So far as Israel is when things change, will say "No, I was posing a formula to the PLO leaders which concerned, I believe the Americans paid a forced to accept this under duress, this must would enable his Administration to sit with be changed", and the whole thing will start PLO people. This was to overcome the again. There will either be another armed difficulty resulting from Kissinger's agree• conflict or some sort of massive pressure will ment with the Israelis in connection with the be needed to convince Israel to agree to new second disengagement of the Egyptian- Egyptian demands. Israeli front that the Americans would not The military help which the Americans sit with the PLO without previously con• are giving to the Egyptians now is far in• sulting Israel. ferior to what they are giving to the Israelis. This would have been the real Take, for instance, the deal of the F-5s. breakthrough between the American What the hell do I need with F-5s. They're Administration at the highest level and the obsolete. They are giving them to the PLO. As a superpower the US should sit Yemen or to Ethiopia or Sudan! with anybody, everybody, especially when The Israelis had F-5s about 10 years ago. the problems involve war and peace, human Now, they give Egypt, the biggest and rights and justice.