U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy met with about 25 West Bank Palestinian leaders at a reception in his honor at the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem last night. He said later that his talks with the Palestinians left him with the impression that they are anxious to see progress in the peace process.
Murphy was given a petition signed by 22 West Bank political personalities urging the U.S. to negotiate directly with the Palestine Liberation Organization and to recognize PLO chief Yasir Arafat as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
(In Washington today, State Department spokesman Bernard Kalb declined to comment on the petition or on the substance of Murphy’s meeting with the Palestinians. He stressed, however, that “There was no functionary, no official of the PLO invited to that gathering and no one attended in that sense.” He reiterated that “Our policy on meeting the PLO is firm and we are adhering to it strictly.”)
The Palestinians who met with Murphy at what was officially a social gathering, represented a broad spectrum of political views in the occupied territories. Representatives of the Palestinian rejection front were absent. No statements were made afterwards and the meeting did not go beyond an exchange of views.
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