5 days ago
From The Hindu, June 5, 1975: U.S. may revive bid for W. Asia peace: Ford is back home
Washington, June 4: The U.S. President, Mr. Gerald Ford, returned home to-day after attending a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation at Brussels and talks on the West Asia situation with President Anwar Sadat of Egypt at Salzburg.
Officials accompanying the President said Mr. Ford had returned with the feeling that his journey was a success.
Mr. Ford himself told a meeting here shortly after his arrival: 'Our major alliances are firm and strong.' He was referring to his discussions with the heads of Government of the NATO nations.
On the West Asia problem which he discussed with Mr. Sadat, the President made no statement of a substantive kind. It was presumed he preferred to await his impending talks with the Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Yitzhak Rabin, scheduled here for next week.
While the officials travelling with Mr. Ford believed that the Ford-Sadat talks had opened the early possibility of a revival of U.S. diplomatic efforts by Dr. Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State himself took a cautious line. He said he was not saying there was progress in the talks between the two Presidents, but felt that conditions had been created under which 'there could be progress.'
Officials here consider that the Israeli action, pulling back troops following the Egyptian decision to reopen the Suez Canal, is a goodwill gesture but no more than that. The number of troops involved is just nominal, about 3,500 soldiers, and some tanks, but it has added to the lessening of tension.
