President Reagan reiterated today that his Middle East peace initiative is still alive and that to allow it to be blocked by a decision by the Palestine Liberation Organization is “giving them too much importance.”
“The Arab nations are very serious about the continuation of the peace talks,” Reagan stressed in a press conference with six reporters in the White House Oval Office. The press conference was piped into the press briefing room.
When Reagan was asked if he was urging that the PLO have its veto power removed from efforts by Jordan’s King Hussein to represent the Palestinians in negotiations with Israel, he replied that it has to be the Arab states “agreeing to go forward in negotiations with the PLO.”
At the same time, he seemed to be urging the Palestinian people themselves to reject the PLO. “Are they going to stand still for their interests being neglected on the basis of an action taken by this group, the PLO…which was never elected by the Palestinian people?” he asked. When a reporter suggested a referendum by the Palestinian people on who should represent them, Reagan replied that this would be too difficult since they are scattered throughout the Arab world and it would not be easy to give them the necessary information.
Reagan said that after Hussein rejected the conditions put by the PLO on the agreement he had worked out with Yasir Arafat, the PLO chief, he spoke to all the leaders of the Arab world “and none of them wanted to back the PLO in that new proposal.”
Reagan added that he was told Arafat objected to the proposal but was overruled by the PLO “council.” After Hussein rejected the PLO proposal, he announced he would not enter the negotiations under any circumstances.
CITES FOREIGN POLICY SUCCESS
When it was suggested that the Reagan Administration, now past its half-way mark, has had no foreign policy successes, Reagan replied this is a “distorted picture.” He noted that “Beirut is no longer being shelled on a daily basis.” He said except for some incidents, “we’re down to negotiating the withdrawal of foreign forces after eight years of combat and invasion and harassment from outside as well as inside Lebanon.”
The President also said his Administration was moving the Camp David process forward toward an overall Mideast peace. He said that the Carter Administration with the Camp David process “simply” began the negotiations. “After we got in the principal step between Israel and Egypt was carried out which was the return of the Sinai.” Reagan ommitted mentioning the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty which was signed during the Carter Administration.
Reagan said his Administration was now trying to bring about negotiations on the West Bank agreed upon in the Camp David process, “We’re the ones who have gone a step beyond that with regard to trying to have an overall peace in the entire area. That had never been proposed,” he said.
Reagan apparently was referring to his peace initiative which he proposed last September I- The Carter Administration was seeking an overall peace agreement and was planning for a Geneva conference when the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made his historic trip to Jerusalem and brought about efforts for a step-by-step negotiation.
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