TEL AVIV: The United States Secretary of State, Dr. Henry Kissinger, arrived here tonight [May 4] for his second round on crucial talks with Israeli leaders on troops disengagement between Israel and Syria. Dr. Kissinger flew from Alexandria where he had briefed Egypt President Anwar Sadat on his talks with Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad in Damascus last night. …

Meanwhile, an official Syrian announcement said tonight that Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko was due in Damascus tomorrow. … U.S. officials claimed it now seemed “clear” that an agreement on disengagement would include the return of Israeli prisoners. …

Diplomatic observers cautioned against hasty pessimism at such an early stage in Dr. Kissinger’s fifth Middle East peace mission. U.S. Ambassador at large Robert McCloskey, who is accompanying Dr. Kissinger, earlier told newsmen after the … talks in Damascus that “both sides viewed the talks as constructive, and some progress was made. …” Both sides have kept up heavy fighting on Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights front during Dr. Kissinger’s visit. — News agencies

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024