Murphy Returning to Mideast in Attempt to Revive Peace Efforts

Richard Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, is going to the Middle East, apparently in an attempt to revive the peace process following the failure of the Arab Summit in Casablanca, Morocco, last week to support the peace efforts of King Hussein of Jordan.

The State Department’s announcement today of the Murphy trip did not mention the summit and, as read by Deputy spokesman Charles Redman, had an optimistic tone to it. Murphy is going to the Mideast “to consult further on how best to move the peace process forward,” Redman said. He said Murphy will be visiting Israel, Egypt and Jordan, and there was a possibility that the trip could be extended to other countries.

But Redman stressed that no final decision has yet been made on Murphy meeting with a joint Palestinian-Jordanian delegation since the U.S. has still not approved any of the Palestinians on a list sent it by Hussein as members of the Palestinian delegation.

“As we have constantly said, we are prepared to take part in such a meeting if arrangements can be mutually agreed and if the meeting clearly leads to our objectives of direct negotiations between the parties,” Redman said. “It remains our conviction that only through a negotiated settlement can a just and lasting peace between Israel and all its neighbors be achieved.”

REPORT DELEGATION TO MEET WITH MURPHY

In Israel, meanwhile, Hana Siniora, editor of the East Jerusalem Arabic newspaper Al Fajar and named as one of the West Bank Palestinians to the joint delegation, told reporters at the Foreign Press Association here that the delegation will meet with Murphy before the end of the month. Siniora did not provide additional details. He is scheduled to soon leave for Jordan. Another Palestinian representation from the administered territories, Fayez Abu Rakhme, of Gaza, is already in Jordan.

A senior State Department official briefing reporters later said one of the “options” for this trip was that Murphy could meet with the joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation if the obstacles could be overcome. But he conceded that Hussein is still insisting that the U.S. talk to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which the U.S. refuses to do and which is why the list has not been approved. Most of the names on the list, which was drawn up by PLO chief Yasir Arafat, are members of the PLO.

Israel Radio reported last week that Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead told Israeli officials in Jerusalem that Hussein stressed to him that he would not change any of the names on the list. State Department officials refused to confirm this today. The official briefing reporters said Murphy will be talking to Palestinians in Jerusalem and Amman as he has done on all his previous visits to the Mideast. He refused to say whether this would include any of the persons on Hussein’s list.

INTERNATIONAL MIDEAST CONFAB

The official said another obstacle is Hussein’s insistence that peace negotiations must be held in the context of an international meeting which will include the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The U.S. rejects it and particularly opposes including the Soviet Union in the peace process because it has no diplomatic relations with Israel, among other reasons.

The official had no assessment on recent reports that the Soviet Union is moving toward diplomatic relations with Israel, except to note that the USSR has interests in the Mideast and is apparently trying various options.

The official stressed that the most important issue to be resolved before Murphy can meet with a joint delegation is that the talks have to lead to direct negotiations between Israel, and Jordan and the Palestinians.

However, Israel is opposed to any U.S. meeting with the joint delegation before direct negotiations are held. Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir reaffirmed this in a speech last Friday, charging that the U.S. was falling into a trap since the only purpose of the meeting was to bring about U.S. recognition of the PLO.

NO U.S. ASSESSMENT OF ARAB SUMMIT

Meanwhile, the U.S. had no assessment about the Arab summit which only a week ago the State Department has called “a significant event” which it hoped will provide backing for Hussein. “In so far as the (summit) communique enhances the prospect for negotiation, a peaceful resolution of differences, it obviously has our support, “Redman said.

But the Administration may be showing its resentment of the failure of at least one country, Saudi Arabia, to support the peace process at Casablanca by not having Murphy visit it on his upcoming trip. Saudi Arabia is usually part of the itinerary for any such trip.

The Saudis may have prevented the summit from achieving the hopes the U.S. had for it when King Fahd did not attend, thus downgrading its importance. Instead Fahd sent his Foreign Minister, Crown Prince Abdullah, who reportedly prevented any condemnation of Syria. Syria, which opposes the Hussein peace effort, did not attend the Casablanca conference nor did Libya, Algeria, South Yemen and Lebanon.