Secretary of State Vance's Trip to the Middle East White House Statement on the President's Meeting With Secretary Vance.

Secretary Vance reported this evening to the President on his trip last week to the Middle East to attend the opening sessions of the Political Committee of the Cairo Conference in Jerusalem and on his visits to Greece and Turkey this past weekend.

On the Middle East, Secretary Vance described for the President the work on a declaration of principles which would govern the negotiation of a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East that had begun in the Political Committee before the Egyptian delegation was withdrawn.

The Secretary expressed his judgment that, while the work of the Political Committee is temporarily suspended, the negotiating process can continue. Both the President and the Secretary have urged that discussions between Egypt and Israel in the Security Committee of the Cairo Conference continue. They hope that these talks may resume soon. The President stressed that we are prepared to continue the exchanges with Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat that the Secretary began last week on a declaration of principles. Assistant Secretary Atherton is staying in the Middle East to be helpful in this effort.

The President and the Secretary expressed the hope that the public exchanges of recent days are now behind us and that every effort will be made to recapture the spirit that followed recent meetings between Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat and to turn full attention through quiet diplomacy to the substance of the negotiations.

Secretary Vance also reported on his brief visits to Ankara and Athens. In each place, he had extended discussions with the respective leaders on matters of bilateral cooperation and on regional and global issues of concern to us as allies. No decisions were taken in these conversations. Our ties with both countries remain strong and vital.