Priming the Peace Process

Sadat broadens his options and revives an old controversy

With President Reagan still settling into the White House and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin girding for an uphill election campaign, Anwar Sadat has been fearful that the peace process might lose so much momentum as to expire altogether. So the Egyptian President has undertaken a one-man campaign to keep the process alive. Two weeks ago, he addressed the European Parliament in Luxembourg, where he solicited Europe's help in persuading both Israelis and Palestinians to accept "mutual and simultaneous recognition." Afterward, he stopped over in Paris for talks with French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing. Last week Sadat stoked the fires again: he renewed a long-forgotten, highly controversial proposal that Palestinians create a government in exile.

Sadat first raised the idea of a provisional Palestinian government in 1973. He brought it up again for two reasons. First, he views the Palestinians as the linchpin in a comprehensive Middle East agreement under the Camp David accords. Second, he feels that the present Palestinian leadership, notably that of Palestine Liberation Organization Chief Yasser Arafat, is unable to withstand pressures from Syria and the U.S.S.R. Sadat reasons that a government in exile formed by all Palestinians, P.L.O. members as well as Palestinians living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, might yield a stronger leadership. It would also help the Palestinians move toward a more neutral position, which would enhance their appeal and attract broader support in the world. "The moment a Palestinian provisional government is formed, we shall recognize it immediately," he said.

Sadat's proposal evoked anger among Israeli officials. Interior Minister Yosef Burg, who is also Jerusalem's chief negotiator at the stalled talks on Palestinian autonomy, called it "a complete contradiction to the spirit of Camp David." For that matter, the P.L.O. evinced no excitement about the idea. Farouk Kaddoumi, the P.L.O.'s unofficial foreign minister, called the time "inopportune" for such a government, adding that "we do not place any trust in Sadat." American analysts interpreted Sadat's proposal as an attempt "at keeping all the options open" that offered little chance of immediate success.

Egyptian officials were the first to admit that Sadat's maneuver stemmed from multiple motives. They emphasize that Sadat has effectively given up any hope of reaching an agreement on the Palestinians with the Begin government, and has now pinned his hopes on a probable Labor Party victory in Israel's June 30 elections. During a four-day visit to Egypt last week, Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky passed along his belief that Labor Party Leader Shimon Peres would be prepared to reach an early agreement on autonomy, perhaps even by the end of the year. Although Sadat's proposed government in exile would not play a role until after the transitional period called for under the Camp David accords, such a government would help pave the way for a future Palestinian state.

Egypt's new interest in Europe, meanwhile, has also brought some economic dividends. The Egyptians announced that France will build two $1 billion nuclear reactors in Egypt, and undertake construction of a $600 million subway in Cairo. At the same time, Sadat is intensifying his ties with other Arab nations, notably Saudi Arabia, in a bid to restore Arab solidarity. Says a chief aide: "We may have plenty to talk about when President Sadat finally meets Reagan."

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