State Department spokesman John King said today that the administration “has an open mind” on the possibility of a joint Soviet-American peacekeeping force in the Middle East. Since August, when such a plan was trial-ballooned at a top-level background briefing at the Western White House in San Clemente, Calif., President Nixon has disavowed it as administration policy. Jordan’s King Hussein publicly endorsed such a plan for the first time yesterday. Mr. King said peacekeeping was discussed with King Hussein and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan here late last week. But the spokesman declined to state United States policy in detail. He did say that the U.S. continues strongly in favor of resumption of the Jarring peace talks. Regarding King Hussein’s request for American aid beyond the $30 million sought by President Nixon, Mr. King would say only that “We’ll be as sympathetic as we can to his needs.” The Jordanian leader reportedly asked for $125 million over five years. In an interview taped last Thursday night for telecasting on the Dec. 18 “David Frost Show,” he said that figure was “exaggerated,” and that the actual figure “may be 200-and-something (million dollars) over five or 10 years.” In another development. State Department sources today described as “inaccurate” a report by Kol Israel that the U.S. has agreed to veto any anti-Israel measure in the Security Council if Israel returns to the Jarring talks.
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