Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume IX, Arab-Israeli Dispute, August 1978–December 1980, Second, Revised Edition

236. Letter From President Carter to Israeli Prime Minister Begin¹

Washington, March 26, 1979

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

On the basis of my discussions today with President Sadat and you,² I attach a summary of my understanding of the results of those discussions.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Carter

Attachment

Summary of Discussions Among President Carter, Egyptian President Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Begin³

Washington, undated

1. Israel will withdraw from southern Sinai and restore to Egypt the exercise of its sovereignty over that area, and over all the adjacent oil fields in the Gulf of Suez, two months before completion of full Israeli withdrawal to the interim Al-Arish—Ras Muhammad line.

2. Egypt will take the necessary steps to insure that oil from those oil fields will be made available for purchase by Israel on an on-going basis, at the world market price current at the time of transfer, from the time of Israeli relinquishment of the fields.

3. The Government of Israel will make all arrangements for the transportation of oil in question.

JC

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 55, Middle East: Peace Talks Between Egypt and Israel, 1–3/79. Secret.
2. According to the President’s Daily Diary, Carter met with Sadat in the Oval Office from 10:02 a.m. to 10:44 a.m., March 26. (Carter Library, Presidential Materials) No memorandum of conversation for this meeting has been found, though Carter’s handwritten notes from the meeting are in the Carter Library, Plains File, President’s Personal Foreign Affairs File, Box 1, Egypt, 11/77–11/81. An undated briefing memorandum for the meeting, prepared by the Department of State and forwarded under a covering note from Vance to Carter is in the Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 55, Middle East: Peace Talks Between Egypt and Israel, 1–3/79. A memorandum of conversation for Carter’s meeting with Begin, from 11:08 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., the same day, is printed as Document 235.
3. Secret.