The Reagan Administration appeared today to be taking a cautious approach to the announcement in Amman yesterday that King Hussein of Jordan and Palestine Liberation Organization chief Yasir Arafat had agreed on a frame-work for a joint approach to the settlement of the Palestinian issue.
“We would note that any declared intention of pursuing a peaceful settlement of the Middle East conflict would be a constructive step, ” White House spokesman Larry Speakes said. “It is crucial, however, that the settlement be pursued at the table in direct negotiations, based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 242. If the discussions in Amman help move the parties toward the negotiating table, then it is a welcome development.”
Speakes said the Administration wanted to learn more about the agreement in Amman which came as President Reagan held two days of talks with King Fahd of Saudi Arabia in which Reagan urged the need for an Arab partner for direct negotiations with Israel.
The Fahd-Reagan talks included a meeting yesterday morning, a State dinner last night and a breakfast meeting this morning. Speakes denied that the announcement in Amman yesterday was the reason the breakfast meeting was scheduled.
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER’S POSITIONS
Only six persons were present at the hour-and-fifteen-minute breakfast this morning — Reagan; Secretary of State George Shultz; National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane; Fahd; Prince Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister; and Prince Bandar, the Saudi Ambassador. This allowed a fuller discussion of all the issues that were gone over yesterday, according to Speakes.
The meeting allowed the two leaders to get a better understanding of each other’s positions, according to Speakes, although both apparently continue to have differing perspectives on the achievement of progress in the Middle East peace process.
The King explained an Arab belief that now is the time for the U.S. to help “reinvigorate the peace process” because the Arabs are concerned that “the potential for damage in the area is growing,” a senior Administration official said. But he said Fahd was not specific about what the U.S. should do except that it should be “a full partner” and “they’d like us to use our influence with Israel.” The Arabs have long sought U.S. pressure on Israel for concessions before negotiations. The official stressed that the U.S. is involved in the Middle East. “Our real engagement comes when there is an on-going negotiation and an Arab interlocutor at the table,” the official said. He added that the U.S. cannot act alone in the Middle East. “We can’t want it (peace) more than the people in the area, ” he said.
The U.S. believes the “interlocutor” should be Jordan. Speakes said that the U.S. feels the first step is for Hussein and Arafat to come to an agreement allowing Hussein to negotiate with Israel.
PUTTING SOME BUILDING BLOCKS TOGETHER
Meanwhile, at a State Department luncheon yesterday, Shultz stressed to Fahd that the U.S. is presently engaged in “putting some building blocks together” in order to promote confidence toward negotiations, according to the official. He explained that one such block is the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon coupled with security for Israel’s northern borders. The U.S. believes Israel does intend to leave Lebanon, Fahd was told.
Other building blocks outlined by the official were efforts by the U.S. to improve Egyptian-Israeli relations and the quality of life for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The official said that Fahd discussed the controversy over water rights in the West Bank.
There was no disagreement between Reagan and Fahd that the legitimate rights of the Palestinians have to be taken into account in any negotiations, the official said. Fahd called for self-determination for the Palestinians but did not at any of the meetings ask the U.S. to recognize the PLO.
The official also noted that there was no question Israel would negotiate with Palestinians if they were in the Jordanian negotiating delegation, but not with the PLO. He said in the Camp David accords Israel agreed to talks with ” credible Palestinians. ” He defined these as residents of the West Bank and Gaza, adding that any Palestinians from outside those territories would have to be mutually acceptable.
Reagan reiterated his commitment to his September 1, 1982 Middle East peace initiative, but the official stressed that the initiative was not a required basis for negotiations while UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 were.
The U.S. would like to continue the process which started with the Egyptian-Israeli talks which led to the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty “and to our great disappointment, froze up there, “the official said. He said the Reagan initiative was a set of ideas to get negotiations started and it had been hoped that it would “trigger” direct talks.
The official said the Arabs have been asked to “come forward for direct talks” and like Israel, they can bring with them any proposals including the Fez declaration, any modification of it or anything else.
NO DISCUSSION ON ARMS
The official said the King and Reagan did not discuss arms but he stressed that once the U.S. completes its strategic review which includes the Middle East peace process and arms sales, there is no doubt that it will propose arms for Saudi Arabia.
Reagan, in an interview with The New York Times published today, said he feels arms sales are necessary as “a part of convincing the Arabs that we do sincerely intend to be their friends also. ” Presumably, discussion of arms will come up when Fahd meets tomorrow with Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.
Reagan, in his talks with Fahd, agreed that Iran is the aggressor in the Persian Gulf war and that Iraq has been trying to seek peace. The official said the U.S. promised to continue efforts to prevent arms going to Iran. In response to a question, he said there is no evidence Israel has been sending arms to Iran “in recent years.”
In addition to his meetings with Weinberger tomorrow Fahd will also meet with other Cabinet members and with former Presidents Carter and Ford today and with former Secretaries of State Cyrus Vance and Henry Kissinger Thursday. After a dinner hosted by Vice President George Bush Thursday night, Fahd will leave Washington Friday.
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.
