-Ij A8TI. 1ALI
PRIME MINISTER
FOR PRESS 1 APRIL 1979
ELECTORATE TALK
All Australians will welcome the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli
peace treaty. President Carter, Prime Minister Begin and
President Sadat have begun a significant new chapter in the
saga of the Middle East. For the Israeli people that saga
has spanned thousands of years with their exile to Babylon.
For the Egyptian people the signing of the treaty marks
the end of thirty years of hostility with a neighbour,
punctuated by fierce wars in the Sinai Desert. For America,
this treaty is a fitting tribute to the skilled and unrelenting
efforts of President Carter in leading the two nations
together in the quest for peace.
The signing of the treaty in Washington this week came after
months of work by the three leaders. It began in 1977 with
President Sadat's historic visit to Jerusalem to address
the Knesset. It was there he renewed his pledge that Israel
and Egypt should no longer attempt to settle their differences
by war. In that one visit, Israel achieved the implicit
recognition of a major Arab nation and new and exhilirating
prospects of real and lasting peace.
Australia welcomed President Sadat's courageous initiative
because it represented the first real breakthrough in
years of continual warfare. It opened a new path which
Israel has always wanted, but which bad until then seemed
inaccessible the path to negotiation.
That historic journey in search of peace was followed by the
Camp David meeting last September, which came from the personal
initiative of President Carter. After Camp David, there were
lengthy, difficult negotiations, and often despair about
the resolution of problems. President Carter's decision to
visit the Middle East early in March however, led to the final
breakthrough. The three leaders are to be congratulated for their dedication.
They displayed statesmanship of the highest order. Today, in
the aftermath of the treaty, the world hopes that work on
a comprehensive Middle East settlement can proceed. / 2
2
Much remains to be done. It is Egypt and Israel that
have taken this step to peace. Elsewhere, Arab countries
have protested often vehemently. It is our earnest
hope that these countries can be encouraged to accept the
treaty as a first step on the road to a just and
lasting peace.
Your Government has supported, and will continue to support,
all moves designed to meet this end. We have done this in
the hope that peace can become a reality for all the peoples
of the region. I have no doubt this hope will be embraced
by families who have settled in Australia from countries
throughout the Middle East and who have friends and relatives
still living there.
The treaty is a triumph for the forces of moderation and reason.
It is a victory for those who believe in the capacity of
man to resolve differences by thought and word and not
by fighting.
In world forums, Australia pleads the cause and course
of moderation. As an independent nation joining with other
aligned and non-aligned nations by seeking to find
reasonable answers to world problems we strengthen the
cause of moderation.
Our earnest desire is to break down the barriers between
nations between people. Symbolically, a great barrier
tumbled in Washington this week. We all hope that symbol
gives new impetus around the world for man's highest
mission peace. 000---