Anwar Nusseibe, a former Defense Minister of Jordan who lives in East Jerusalem, confirmed today that he had a meeting with Premier Golda Meir and other government officials last month at which political subjects were discussed, but not basic political issues such as future frontiers. Nusseibe denied reports that he attended the meetings as an unofficial representative of King Hussein, of Jordan.
The Prime Minister’s office confirmed the meeting today and described it as one in a series of meetings with Arab representatives living in Israel-occupied territory. “No practical matters were discussed,” the Premier’s office said. Nusseibe identified the other government officials he met with as Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and Police Minister Shlomo Hillel.
According to informed sources, the talks with Israeli officials concerned the municipal elections to be held in West Bank towns this spring and a Jordanian request for Israeli permission for Moslem pilgrims to visit the holy places in Jerusalem. The sources said Jordan promised not to interfere with election preparations if Israel would admit the pilgrims.
Nusseibe’s meeting with Mrs. Meir attracted attention because the former Jordanian minister has been regarded here as the unofficial “representative” of King Hussein in Jerusalem, employed by both Israel and Jordan for the exchanges of information between the two countries. He was mentioned in the press recently as a go-between on practical arrangements concerning future relations between Amman and Jerusalem. He defined his talks as an “exchange of ideas.”
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