King Hussein of Jordan said here yesterday that while he has agreed that the Palestine Liberation Organization should be represented at the Middle East peace conference in Geneva, he cannot accept the idea of the PLO as the sole representative of all the Palestinians. At a press conference following his talks with Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Hussein asserted that “Jordan is the home of the overwhelming majority of Palestinians and I hardly can see how people, who have been under our jurisdiction for 25 years, should be represented by somebody else but us.”
When asked by the JTA about an Izvestia article that said that as soon as Israel withdraw from Arab territories measures should be taken to prevent the area from falling under control of a “reactionary Arab regime. “Hussein replied.” With all due respect to the Soviet Union we have more right to be involved with the Palestinians than they have, and will continue to be. “He said he wanted “to see the Palestinians exercise the right of self-de-termination whether they would remain with us in one country, federate or separate. Whatever their choice will be we will respect it.”
Hussein said that steps have been taken toward peace in the Middle East and all efforts should be made “to keep the momentum going on,” He said that Jordan did not as yet know the Israeli position. Asked about the NBC-TV report last Friday that he had met with former Premier Golda Meir May 27, Hussein smiled and said, “Yes, speculations have occurred many times” and there was no need for him to dwell on them.
SEEKS TO RECOVER TERRITORY
Asked about Jordan’s objectives in the Mideast negotiations, Hussein replied: “Frankly speaking, we wish to recover territories lost in the 1967 war, restore Arab sovereignty over eastern Jerusalem and make the whole of Jerusalem a city of peace and friendship. Following the recovery of territories I think we can introduce the principle of reciprocity between all the countries involved in the Middle East war.”
Hussein, accompanied by his wife, Allah, flew to Canada piloting his own Boeing 707. He left for Vancouver today to be the guest of honor at the Abbotsford International Air Show and plans to go to Seattle Saturday and to stop in Washington, D.C. on his way home next week.
Hussein, however, hedged his planned trip to Washington because of the Presidential crisis, saying he would go to Washington “if circumstances permit.” Asked about the impact of President Nixon’s possible resignation or removal from office of the President, Hussein said he hoped any such developments would not hamper the “momentum” he said had been achieved toward a Middle East settlement.
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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.
