Now we need a period on this issue of some moderation and cooling off, to allow both sides to adjust to the new circumstances.
It is, in any event, important to keep the following in mind: The Arabs cannot win a war in the next 5 years. Historically they may be stronger, but in the short term they are certainly not the stronger. Therefore, any political progress has to come through the United States. There is no other way. The only interest we have in the political process is that it appear that our decisions are made at our own free will. If we are pressed [by the Arabs] we will resist long enough to demonstrate that pressure cannot possibly succeed. And if we are pressed by the Soviet Union, we will simply do nothing and we will tell the Soviet Union to produce progress.
I think President Asad, whom I like very much, visited you last year.
Teng: No, it was their Vice President, Shafei. Asad or Sadat?
Kissinger: Asad.
Ch'iao: He didn't come here. He went to North Korea.
Kissinger: Oh!
Ch'iao: He didn't come from the South.
Kissinger: I think you would like him. He gets many arms from the Soviet Union, but he is a realist. At any rate, I mention him only because even he has understood that under conditions of pressure the United States diplomacy will not operate. And he has now agreed to the extension of the United Nations forces in Syria, and we are going to ask Austria to introduce a resolution which he has worked out with us, and which, for your information, Israel has already accepted. So, we hope you will not veto it. [Laughter]
This isn't known yet. We have negotiated it for the last week with Syria. I don't think the Soviet Union knows about it yet. They made very many threatening statements about Syria in Vladivostok.
I mention it only to indicate that even good friends of the Soviet Union in the Arab world have to understand our policy.
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
