U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz conferred for three hours in London Tuesday with King Hussein of Jordan and was due to arrive here Tuesday evening.
An American spokesman said Shultz will make a detailed report to President Reagan Wednesday morning on his Middle East peace mission to date. He and Reagan, who is also expected in Brussels late Tuesday, will attend the NATO summit meeting here.
Shultz is expected to indicate Wednesday whether he plans to return to the Middle East later in the week to continue his shuttle diplomacy, begun last Friday. Shultz left Israel Tuesday morning.
An American spokesman in London said Tuesday that Shultz’s decision will be made only after his meeting with the president. The Americans refused to comment on Shultz’s discussions with Hussein.
The Jordanian ruler was in London officially for “dental treatment.” He was absent from his capital, Amman, during Shultz’s two visits there, Saturday and Monday.
The future of Shultz’s mission was said to hinge on whether Jordan gave the Americans a green light to continue on the basis of Shultz’s proposals or avoided making a definite commitment. Some reports Tuesday said Hussein rejected the American package.
In London, the U.S. spokesman told reporters, “We are actually where we started,” which could mean that nothing has been gained by Shultz’s efforts.
In Brussels, Egyptian sources were more optimistic. They said Tuesday night it was “practically certain” that the secretary of state will resume his peace mission at the end of the week and might meet in Cairo with a 15-member Palestinian delegation.
During his four days in Israel, key Palestinian figures from the West Bank and Gaza Strip declined to meet with Shultz, apparently because of threats by the Palestine Liberation Organization.
But sources who refused to be identified, said the Cairo meeting between Shultz and Palestinians was arranged by President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. They said the delegation will not include members of the PLO, but Palestinian personalities close to it.
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