Carter: U.S. Has No Position on Who Should Represent Palestinians at Reconvened Geneva Conference

President Carter said today that the United States was still discussing with Israel and the Arab states who should represent the Palestinians at a Geneva conference and the format for that conference. He said the U.S. was acting as an intermediary and has “no position” on this question.

Responding to a question at a White House press conference, Carter said, “We have no national position on who would represent the Palestinians or what form the Arab group would take which contained the Palestinians.” He added, “We are trying to get an agreement between the Israelis and the Arab countries…about the format of the meeting and who would be welcome at the conference to represent the Palestinians.”

Carter reiterated that the U.S. is sticking to its promise to Israel not to deal with the Palestine Liberation Organization until it accepts United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 and “publicly” recognizes Israel’s right to exist. He said that once the PLO accepts these conditions, the U.S. will “begin discussions with leaders of the PLO” but said he would not offer the terrorist group any other assurances.

Carter said that the U.S. was trying to find a “common ground” between Israel and the Arab states and praised both sides for having come a long way from their previous positions.

PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATION A MUST

The President again stressed that there can be no Mideast settlement without Palestinian representation. He noted that the PLO obviously represents one segment of Palestinians but pointed out that there are other Palestinian leaders. Carter’s comments on the Palestinians come when he was asked if he could clarify the confusion that has arisen in the last few days over the U.S. position on the issue. “I doubt it,” the President quipped, laughing.

He explained that the U.S. has to bring all the parties to the conference table and was meeting separately with all the countries concerned as well as serving as an intermediary between the Israelis and the Arabs.

He added, however, that the U.S. was not merely an intermediary. “We are not an idle observer or bystander,” he said, because the U.S. has “vital national interests” in the area. Carter noted that the whole process is further complicated since the Soviet Union is co-chairman with the U.S. of the Geneva conference and must be consulted before the conference can be convened.

TRYING TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES

Specifically, Carter said, “We are trying to resolve some difference among Arab nations” whether there should be a united Arab delegation or “individual Arab delegations” at Geneva and “the format which might be used to let the Palestinians’ views be represented. It is obvious to me that there cannot be a Middle East peace settlement without adequate Palestinian representation.” The President also said “We’re trying to get an agreement” of Israel and the Arabs on “a format” as to “who will be welcomed to represent the Palestinians.”

The President stressed that “This is something that is still in the negotiating stage. I can’t predict the final outcome. We have no national position on exactly who will represent the Palestinians or exactly what form the Arab group will take in which the Palestinians would be represented. I cannot answer that question yet because that question has not been answered in my own mind.”

Carter noted that the U.S. has pledged to Israel in the past and “I have confirmed that pledge, we will not negotiate or deal directly with the PLO until they adopt UN Security Council Resolution 242 as a basis for their involvement which includes recognition of the right of Israel to exist.”

PLO DOESN’T REPRESENT NATION

The President continued: “If the PLO should go ahead and say we endorse UN Resolution 242 but don’t think it adequately addresses the Palestinian issue because it only addresses itself to refugees and we think we have a further interest in that, that would suit us ok.”

He added, “Obviously, the (the PLO) don’t represent a nation. It is a group that represents, certainly, a substantial part of the Palestinians. I certainly don’t think they are the exclusive representatives of the Palestinians. So we are not trying to define an exact formula that we would prescribe for others. We are trying to find some common ground on which Arabs and Israelis might get together,” Carter said.

Asked what assurances the PLO would get if it accepts Resolution 242, Carter replied that if the PLO accepts 242 and Israel’s right to exist, “we would begin discussions with the leaders of the PLO. We are not giving them any further assurances than that because we are not trying to prescribe the status of the PLO itself in a Geneva conference. But it would give us a means to understand the special problems of the Palestinians.”

MUM ON A MEETING WITH A PLO OFFICIAL

In a related matter, the State Department would neither confirm nor deny today a Beirut report that U.S. Ambassador Richard B. Parker met with a “high” PLO official five days ago and that it is believed the official is PLO chief, Yasir Arafat. Department spokesman John Trattner said he has not seen the report and would not comment on it. He said U.S. policy toward the PLO is that “we are not dealing in any direct fashion with the PLO.”