Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy met with Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin Wednesday in another effort by the U.S. Administration to advance the stalled peace process. Murphy, who is Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, arrived here Tuesday from Cairo.
American diplomatic sources here have expressed disappointment that Jordan has failed to bring the Palestinians into the negotiating picture. King Hussein announced last month he was abandoning his year-long effort to persuade Palestine Liberation Organization chief Yasir Arafat to accept the basic conditions for peace talks.
Hussein is now urging the Palestinians in the administered territories to elect their own leaders “to put an end to the Israeli occupation.” He reiterated Jordan’s determination to assist them, but only if it does not clash with Jordan’s security interests. Hussein reminded the Palestinians that Jordan is not a substitute for the PLO.
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