Jordan’s King Hussein, currently making his first visit to Canada, plans to visit Washington next week to discuss with key U.S. officials his demand for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, Jordanian Prime Minister Zaid al-Rifai reported here yesterday.
The Prime Minister said he made the arrangements for the visit during talks yesterday with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger at the State Department. Rifai did not indicate the exact date for Hussein’s arrival and, reacting to the prospects of President Nixon’s imminent resignation, refused comment on whether Hussein expected to meet with Nixon during his visits, saying only that the King would meet with “government officials.”
Rifai took a hard line on Jordan’s demands on Israel as a condition for Jordan’s participation in the Geneva peace conference. He insisted that “the next step must be an agreement for an Israeli withdrawal from parts of the West Bank as a first step toward convening the Geneva conference to discuss complete withdrawal. If there is no withdrawal.” he declared, “it is useless to talk about peace.”
REJECTS PLO CLAIMS
He also rejected reported Israeli suggestions that Jordan might be given civilian control of some West Bank towns while Israeli forces remained in the West Bank, adding, “we are talking about total Israeli withdrawal.” He outlined Jordan’s settlement goals as recovering the West Bank, reestablishment of Arab sovereignty “over the Arab part of the city of Jerusalem” and then contributing toward making Jerusalem a city of peace “for all concerned.” He said any problems after “recovery of the territory” could be dealt with “by reciprocity.”
Rifai rejected claims of the Palestine Liberation Organization to represent Palestinians in the West Bank. He reiterated Jordan’s position that it represents all Palestinians in Jordan, including the West Bank but that the PLO might represent Palestinians in other areas. However, Rifai said. if “all the Arabs” decided that the PLO should represent the Palestinians of the West Bank. “Jordan would disengage entirely from the negotiations.”
Earlier this week Rifai expressed optimism about the prospects for a Middle East settlement after emerging from a two-hour talk with Kissinger. He gave no hints as to the basis for his optimism. Rifai came to Washington for talks with Administration officials a day after Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon left after conducting a week of talks with officials. Their visits, and those by other Arab and Israeli officials this month, any part of an effort to discuss next steps in Mideast peace moves.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
