In the course of a conversation between the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and Chairman _of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, L. I. Brezhnev, and a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, A. A. Gromyko, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign’ Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic, Abdul Halim Khaddam, the joint resolve of the Soviet Union and the Syrian Arab Republic was expressed to work for the achievement of a comprehensive Middle East settlement, excluding the possibility of separate deals, which the leaders of some Arab countries still clutch at, and with the full-fledged participation of the PLO, the legitimate representative of the Arab people of Palestine. Should the Geneva Conference be wrecked, then a heavy responsibility is to be borne by those who had a hand in it.
In light of this, our immediate task is the speedy resumption of the work of the Geneva Peace Conference. It is well known what the situation is at present with respect to that Conference. Speaking the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, A. A. Gromyko, stated: “Today it can be said that the Conference has been placed in a more difficult situation than before and that difficulties have multiplied including difficulties involved in its convening.”
The Foreign Minister stressed that: “A serious responsibility should be borne by those who, close to or far from the Middle East region, take steps which create difficulties even on the path towards the convening of the Geneva Conference.”