The national commander of the Jewish War Veterans, Robert Zweiman, has sent a telegram to Secretary of State Alexander Haig protesting and seeking clarification of a meeting Tuesday between two State Department officials and two West Bank Palestinian mayors who Zweiman said had “ties” to the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
The two mayors–Fahd Kawasma of Hebron and Mohammed Milhem of Holhul — met with two Assistant Secretaries of State: Nicholas Veliotes, who is in charge of the Near East and South Asian deportment; and Elliott Abrams, who heads the human rights division, according to a State Department spokesman.
Department spokesman Alan Romberg revealed yesterday that the two mayors called at the State Department for talks on the West Bank situation, U.S. policy and the prospect for Palestinian autonomy. The talks, Romberg pointed out, were initiated by the mayors and “took place in the context of our willingness to meet with a broad range of Palestinians other than members of the Palestine Liberation Organization.”
The telegram Zweiman sent yesterday to Haig stated: “We are concerned that our government met with individuals having ties to the PLO. Please explain.” U.S. policy toward the PLO, which was reiterated by Haig just last week, is that there will be no dialogue or negotiations with the terrorist organization until it recognizes Israel’s right to exist and accepts United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.
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