August 5, 1977

Syrian Pres Assad rejects Sadat proposal, news conf after conf with Vance; says working group would be viewed as competing with full-fledged Geneva conf; favors continued talks leading to Geneva conf; says he appreciates US peace efforts but sees no progress toward Geneva this yr; says main issue is not Israel's objection to PLO participation at Geneva, but Israel's denial of Palestinian rights; does not rule out idea that Foreign Min Khaddam might attend Gen Assembly in Sept and meet with Vance (M)

Port Auth chmn Alan Sagner and exec dir Peter C Goldmark announce new travel policy designed to eliminate many of practices that provoked investigations into alleged expense-acct abuses and possible tax evasion; new rules would: prohibit most lst-class travel for auth officials and expense-paid trips for wives, prohibit reimbursement for personal recreational expenses, limit hotel and meal charges to 'reasonable' costs related to business, end assignment of travel attendants and require individual written repts on accomplishments of each trip; NYS Comptroller Arthur Levitt hails guidelines but Assemblyman Irwin J Landes calls for regulatory legis; alleged abuses involving auth world-trade dir Guy F Tozzoli and travel attendant Carl Kleeberg revd (M)

Proposing that millions of illegal aliens who entered US before '77 be given temporary or permanent status after registering with Govt

Apptd to head new Dept of Energy

Fed Dist Judge John F Dooling Jr, after determining that attys for pro-abortion groups had not shown that Cong act prohibiting funding of most abortions was 'vague and ambiguous', withdraws his order requiring Fed Govt to pay for elective abortions for poor; HEW Dept Sec Joseph A Califano Jr immediately bans all Fed subsidies for abortions except when woman's life is in danger; NYS Dept of Soc Services official Carmen Shang expects Dooling decision to have little impact in NYS since state will continue to reimburse hospitals and drs while continuing to follow ct and HEW Dept actions (M)