President Reagan and King Hussein of Jordan agreed Monday that unless there was progress in the Middle East toward peace the region could once again “drift” toward war.
But a senior Administration official, briefing reporters on the hour-long White House meeting, indicated the situation was still as stalled as it has been since February when Hussein broke off efforts to work out a negotiating stance with the Palestine Liberation Organization.
Hussein, who last met with Reagan in September, was in the United States to attend the high school graduations of his twin daughters and to get a physical checkup at a Cleveland hospital. After his meeting with Reagan, he had lunch with Vice President George Bush and then met with Secretary of State George Shultz, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and other senior U.S. officials.
U.S. IS KEY TO MIDEAST PROGRESS
The Administration official said both Reagan and Hussein agreed on the importance of the U.S. actively participating in the peace process. “The United States was the key to any progress toward peace,” Hussein was quoted as saying. There was no discussion of a possible trip to the Mideast by Shultz, the official said. He noted that Shultz has made it clear that he will only go if his presence will help bring about a successful move toward peace.
The U.S. is also “not laying on any plan at this moment,” the official said. He said the Administration would study some suggestions made by Hussein although he would not reveal what they were.
But, the official stressed, “if we ever get negotiations going,” the U.S. position is still as outlined by Reagan in his September 1, 1982 peace initiative. The official said the major problem is still who will represent the Palestinians on a joint delegation for negotiations with Israel.
The White House meeting Monday came only a few days after the Senate just barely sustained Reagan’s veto of the Congressional resolution rejecting his sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia.
JORDAN’S GROWING IMPORTANCE
But the official said military problems were only discussed briefly with Hussein and there was no mention of specific weapons. The Administration’s proposal to sell Jordan $1.5-$1.9 billion in planes and missiles was withdrawn in January when it became clear that Congress would reject the sale.
The official reiterated Monday that the Administration plans to resubmit the sale, although he did not say when.
The senior official also praised Jordan’s “growing importance as a moderate Arab state able to act effectively in regional politics.” In this connection, he said the U.S. views the rapprochment between Jordan and Syria as positive to the extent that it helps to reduce tension in the Mideast.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
