President Bush is expected to ask King Hussein of Jordan on Wednesday to use his influence with the Palestinians to keep them from rejecting Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s proposal for elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
But a senior administration official, briefing reporters on the scheduled White House meeting, refused to confirm Tuesday that such a request will be made.
“These are decisions for King Hussein himself to make,” he said. “We are not going to be forcing King Hussein or urging him or pressuring him.”
But Bush and other administration officials will ask the king to “keep an open mind” on Shamir’s proposals, the official said.
Hussein’s meeting with Bush comes on the heels of meetings the president has had with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Shamir.
Before coming to Washington, Hussein met with Mubarak, Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasir Arafat and French President Francois Mitterrand.
After his meeting two weeks ago with Shamir, Bush endorsed the election proposal, which would allow Palestinians in the territories to elect representatives to negotiate an interim self-rule arrangement with Israel.
After this interim period, negotiations on the final status of the territories would be held.
The election concept is “one aspect of the peace process,” the official stressed. “But we also see this as not an end to itself. We see the whole process leading towards, not only interim arrangements, but also to a final status (agreement on the territories) and a comprehensive settlement.”
Although Hussein said last summer that he was removing himself from the peace process, the official stressed that the United States believes he “has an important role to play in the peace process.”
Considering Jordan’s long border with Israel, “there’s no way in the world that one could perceive a peace process moving forward without the active involvement of King Hussein,” he said.
Hussein is also expected to make requests for U.S. military and economic aid.
Jordan is to receive $10 million in military supplies this year, the lowest amount in years. The Bush administration has asked that this be increased to $50 million in the 1990 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. However economic aid will be reduced from $58 million to $35 million.
Congress for the last several years has rejected major arms requests for Jordan until it begins direct negotiations with Israel.
After meeting with Bush, Hussein is scheduled to have lunch with Vice President Dan Quayle, meet with members of Congress and be the guest at a White House dinner Wednesday night.
Hussein is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State James Baker on Thursday and have breakfast with Defense Secretary Dick Cheney Friday before leaving Washington.
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