Vance Views His Priorities

Flying back to New York from Plains, Ga., last week, Cyrus Vance talked with TIME Diplomatic Editor Jerrold Schecter about his upcoming job as Jimmy Carter's Secretary of State and about the state of the world. Schecter's report:

Cy Vance does not intend to travel widely during his first six months in office. Instead, he will concentrate on organizing his staff and working with Jimmy Carter to develop the new Administration's foreign policy. Even after this initial period is over, Vance said, he does not envision a major personal role for himself as an international negotiator. But, he added, along with Carter, "I clearly intend to be involved in the determination of what the U.S. negotiating strategy will be." Thus, while Vance will not completely abandon Kissinger's balance-of-power approach to foreign affairs, he will shun Kissinger's highly personalized style of diplomacy. Vance intends to allow U.S. negotiators to go as far as they can on their own, then have them bring the problems to him and Carter for resolution. Said he: "If it becomes necessary, I will be involved. But the primary responsibility will be with the negotiator. He or she will have the responsibility for completing the negotiations."

The Carter Administration will give its top attention to the issues that directly affect U.S. security. Vance believes that it is imperative to get the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with the Soviet Union moving again, particularly since the interim SALT pact is due to expire in October. Said he: "It is critical that the SALT talks be given very high priority and be attacked immediately after the Carter Administration comes into office." The talks, he said, should be "approached in a measured way" to resolve the problem of including Soviet Backfire bombers and U.S. Cruise missiles in an agreement. Even while a SALT II agreement is being negotiated, Vance feels, "we should be thinking about SALT III." It presumably would carry out Carter's campaign pledge to work for a reduction in the two countries' nuclear arsenals --something that neither SALT I nor the anticipated SALT II agreement would accomplish.

On the Middle East, Vance wants to review Henry Kissinger's negotiating record and "get caught up on the state of play" before indicating any course of action. Whatever it turns out to be, he said, "I have a feeling there is a window of time that is opening up in which it is possible to make real progress. We ought to be prepared to assist within that time and help bring about meaningful negotiations." In addition, he said, the Carter Administration will give immediate attention to negotiating a new canal treaty with Panama. (Carter has said he would be willing to "share more fully the responsibilities" for the canal with Panama but would "never give up complete control or practical control of the Panama Canal Zone.") Vance also hopes to move ahead on normalization of relations with Communist China.

Central Concern. Beyond these top-priority policy matters, the new Administration will address a wide range of economically related issues: arms sales, nuclear proliferation, energy, food, population control and the economic development of Africa, Asia and Latin America. According to Vance, these "clusters of issues" must become "a central concern of foreign-policy discussions in the U.S. and throughout the world."

Vance foresees a coordinated approach by the U.S. that would include the National Security Council and the State, Defense, Treasury and Agriculture departments. Said he: "There cannot and will not be the backbiting and jockeying for position that have occurred from time to time. President-elect Carter feels strongly about this, and so do I." Subject to Carter's approval, Vance favors having the Secretary of the Treasury sit in on National Security Council meetings.

He will also try to rebuild the good relations with Congress that he had as Secretary of the Army and Deputy Secretary of Defense in the Johnson Administration. Said he: "Congress has to be a partner in foreign policy." After holding his first transition meeting with Kissinger this week, Vance will call on congressional leaders in Washington.

Above all, Vance is anxious that U.S. policy reflect his deep concern for human rights around the world. These principles, he said, "should permeate our foreign-policy thinking." He is not unaware of the practical necessities of dealing with dictatorships or of guarding U.S. security. But he argues that the task ahead for the U.S. is to strike a proper balance. Said he: "We have got to be hardheaded, yet sensitive."

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