(2 of 2)
"Egypt first" feeling is shared, but the proponents of a separate peace have so far been unable to make a noticeable dent in Nasser's foreign policy. During four months of talks in Washington, the U.S. had won from the Soviets a tacit agreement to let Israel and Egypt work out their new borders themselves. But after Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko visited Cairo last month, Russia switched its stance and in a hard-lining note delivered two weeks ago echoed Arab demands for total Israeli withdrawal on all fronts to prewar lines. The Soviets also called for demilitarized zones "astride" the borders, a suggestion that Israel has always resisted. In fact, the only encouraging sign was a negative one. Nasser has apparently not rejected the notion of a "contractual agreement," thus keeping open the possibility of a deal with the Israelis and indicating a desire for the big-power talks to continue.