British Official Claims Partial British Authorship of Reagan Plan

Foreign Secretary Francis Pym has claimed partial British authorship of President Reagan’s Middle East peace plan which he termed “an opportunity not to be missed” and “a basis on which to build the peace process.”

“Some of the thinking behind the Reagan plan originated in this building,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and other Jewish and Israeli journalists at a briefing in the Foreign Office to outline Britain’s policies on the Middle East.

He was referring especially to the fact that Reagan’s statement of September 1 “also acknowledged the existence of the Palestinians.” The outstanding difference between the two countries, he added, was that the U.S. had not yet included the words “self-determination” in relation to the Palestinians, as required by Britain and her European Economic Community partners.

STRIKES A CONCILIATORY NOTE

The Foreign Secretary struck a conciliatory note on Anglo-Israeli relations, describing them as “generally good,” despite Britain’s opposition to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and Israel’s rejection of the Reagan plan.

Britain, he said, was “absolutely committed” to Israel’s security, but at the same time wanted to see “justice for the Palestinians.” Asked about the twice-postponed visit to London by an Arab League delegation, headed by Morocco’s King Hassan, Pym said he hoped the visit would still take place and that the matter could be settled in a few days.

The visit had not so far taken place because of the Arabs’ insistence on including Farouk Kaddoum, the PLO’s foreign affairs spokesman, despite an earlier “clear understanding: that it would not include a PLO representative.

Asked why Britain did not devote as much attention to the Persian Gulf war as to the Arab-Israeli conflict, Pym said this was because Britain had little influence over Iraq and Iron.