Accord with Jordan on Agenda Seen As a ‘major Breakthrough’

Israeli policy-makers have described an agreement reached with Jordan on an agenda for the next round of peace talks as a “major breakthrough” and a model for negotiations with Syria.

Publication of the contents of the agreement in the Jordanian press was seen here as an indication it has been approved by King Hussein, opening the way for substantive negotiations when the talks resume in Washington next week.

Its most important clause is a declaration of intent that efforts by the parties are likely to be concluded by a “peace treaty,” the highest form of peace in the diplomatic lexicon.

Notwithstanding the consensus among Arab states on the need for a comprehensive settlement, Jordan consulted neither the Syrians nor the Palestinians before agreeing to the “peace treaty” language, political sources in Jerusalem said.

Several government ministers spoke in upbeat terms after hearing a report at the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday on the progress of the peace talks, which recessed Oct. 28 and will resume Nov. 9, following the U.S. elections.

Environment Minister Ora Namir said she was now “more optimistic about the peace talks.”

A senior Jordanian official was quoted Sunday from Amman as saying Israeli joy over what it regarded as “a great victory” was premature; in any case, Jordan would make no separate agreements without Syria and the Palestinians.

But the official confirmed that progress was reached in last week’s round of talks.

Israel, for its part, agreed at the talks to discuss territorial demands made by Jordan in the Jordan Valley and the Arava region of the Negev. The land areas in controversy are marginal.

Amman claims a 128-square mile area south of the Dead Sea, which, if surrendered, would mean loss of agricultural land for several kibbutzim in the Arava.

The Jordanian claim is based on the fact that the border determined by British Mandate authorities in September 1922 was never marked in on the ground.

In the north, Amman claims Israel holds about 350 acres of its territory just south of the Sea of Galilee in the Naharayim region.

Israel, for its part, claims a small area in the Eilat region currently held by Jordan.

In the accord reached last week, Jordan reportedly agreed that the first item on the agenda of the next round of talks would be the sharing of water resources. It also agreed that tacit cooperation already existing between the two countries would be formalized in any future peace treaty.

Israel and Jordan are already discussing construction of a canal connecting the Red Sea and the Dead Sea to create a 50-megawatt plant that would generate power by exploiting the drop in altitude between the two bodies of water, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz.

A canal would also enable regulation of the water level of the Dead Sea, which has been drying out in recent years. Planners envision joint tourism projects in the area, the report said.

In their joint document, Israel and Jordan also agreed to discuss demilitarization of the Middle East within the framework of a permanent and comprehensive peace agreement.

This is viewed as an achievement, in the context of standing Israeli policy to make regional arms control part of a comprehensive peace agreement.

Israeli sources in Jerusalem dismissed a report in the French newspaper Liberation that Israel had agreed to allow Palestinian refugees to return to the West Bank and grant them reparations, and to freeze settlement-building completely in the administered territories.