King Hussein of Jordan is furious over a statement by Premier Shimon Peres Sunday that “secret contacts between Israel and Jordan” have taken place in the context of quiet diplomacy, Voice of Israel Radio reported Tuesday.
It said the Jordanians lost no time in registering their anger with the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. Hussein was especially unhappy with the publication of Peres’ remarks on the eve of an Arab summit meeting scheduled to be held in Fez, Morocco, next weekend. He emphatically denied any contacts with Israel.
Peres cautioned that whatever progress was made with Jordan was characterized by mutual understanding rather than any agreement. Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, the Likud leader, seemed to confirm that contacts had been made when he asserted that they had failed to produce any tangible results.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
