Reports of an Israel-jordan Pact Denied by Spokesmen for Both Governments

Israeli officials today professed no knowledge of, and Jordanian officials denied the existence of, a reported territorial settlement between Israel and Jordan. An Israeli spokesman, noting that the sources for the report were Iraqi, said they could not be trusted. Jordanian Ambassador Abdul Hamid Sharef called the report “totally unfounded,” adding: “There are no grounds for any form of agreement outside a comprehensive peaceful settlement in accordance with Security Council Resolution 242. The reports with regard to alleged secret contacts have emanated from Israel.”

The reputed pact – disclosed by a series of conflicting and contradictory reports – provides for an autonomous Palestinian state made up of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and federated with Jordan in a union of Arab kingdoms, according to Baghdad radio.

According to Baghdad radio, the state, to be ruled by King Hussein of Jordan, would have as its capital the Arab sector of Jerusalem, with the state and Jordan having separate internal-affairs governments and elected parliaments but a federated parliament as well. Press reports from Amman, however, said Jordan would get back the West Bank and Israel would keep all of Jerusalem under the alleged pact.

The report of an Israel-Jordan pact spread like wildfire in Western news media following an announcement today in the Jordanian newspaper, Al Destour, that the government had forwarded to the Big Four and Arab governments a plan for decentralizing Jordan’s authority on both the east and west banks. The newspaper did not give any further details but announced that Hussein would make an announcement of immense importance tonight or tomorrow.

Sharef, who today formally took over the Jordanian UN ambassadorship after service as envoy to Washington, acknowledged at a press conference that Hussein’s scheduled speech might touch on “some problems at present” concerning the West Bank and the Israeli presence there. (Al Destour said today that rush invitations to cover Hussein’s speech had been sent to almost all major Mideast news media.)

WHITE HOUSE; NO INFORMATION

In Washington, Secretary of State William P. Rogers told Congress he was familiar with the development but did not want to speak publicly about it now. “There will be immediate developments which will make it clear,” he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in connection with his presentation of the State Department’s request for appropriations authorization.

Referring to the foreign military assistance embodied in the request, Rogers explained that “in the Middle East the requested funds are designed to support countries such as Israel, which depend on us for assistance in meeting the essential defense needs, and to help nations like Jordan to deal with internal security problems.” He did not mention specific sums.

At the White House, assistant press secretary Gerald Warren said: “We have no information on any such (Jordanian-Israeli) agreement.” At the State Department, spokesman Charles Bray said: “Wire stories I have seen this morning suggest a deal with occupied territories. I will not confirm them.” Newsmen recalled that in an address to Jewish editors and publishers yesterday, Assistant Secretary Joseph J. Sisco said: “The possibilities for a separate peace are rather distant, Jordan feels the lead must be taken in Cairo.” State Department officials contended they were “certainly not aware of any secret agreement.”

In Jerusalem, reliable sources ruled out the possibility of a separate Jordanian-Israeli political pact prior to an Egyptian-Israeli one and stressed that Israel will not change its territorial policy. In New York, the Jordanian spokesman said a Jordanian-Israeli treaty was impossible without a visit to Cairo by King Hussein, and added that Hussein has not been there since the funeral of President Gamal Abdel Nasser a year and a half ago.

HUSSEIN FEARS INDEPENDENT LEADERSHIP

Other American officials said the elements of Hussein’s scheduled speech had been given to L. Dean Brown, the US ambassador in Amman. But they emphasized: “It is a plan and nothing else. There is no question of an agreement with Israel.” (A report from Jerusalem said the Foreign Ministry had denied knowledge of the contents of Hussein’s text and declined comment on the Baghdad reports. There was speculation in the Israeli capital that Hussein may want to influence the municipal elections to be held in the West Bank areas of Samaria and Jericho toward the end of the month. According to this interpretation, Hussein fears the establishment of independent leadership in the West Bank and wants to head it off.)