UN General Assembly
1972

73. The deadlock on the over-all settlement in this sector arises from the fact that Egypt has so far refused to begin negotiation unless its position on the final outcome is conceded in advance. There is no valid precedent for such an approach. Negotiation creates the final result; the final result does not create negotiation. We seek no binding commitments from Egypt in advance on matters that are subject to negotiation. We have not sought to determine the final peace boundary, and we have drawn no alternative maps. 74. It is unlikely that a transition from complete deadlock to complete peace can be made in one stage. Accordingly, the Israeli Government through its Prime Minister reiterated on 27 July this year its readiness to negotiate a special Suez Canal agreement. Such an accord would be a contribution and a stimulus to an over-all peace. We would consider such an arrangement as a temporary solution and as a step towards peace. In the atmosphere of confidence created by such an agreement, a momentum for further accords would be generated.