Secretary of State George Shultz will go to Egypt and Jordan after he visits Israel on May 10, the State Department announced.
Department spokesman Bernard Kalb stressed that Shultz is not going to Cairo and Amman as a result of any “dramatic breakthrough” achieved by Richard Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, during his current visit to the Middle East “Nor has there been any setback,” Kalb added.
The spokesman said that Murphy’s “exploratory trip” has been a series of “informative and useful meetings with leaders of the region. We are assessing, in an open frame of mind, initiatives coming from the region,” Kalb said.
“We are seeking practical steps that will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and its Arab neighbors and ultimately result in a just and lasting peace for the region. We expect this to be a slow, gradually developing process.”
Kalb cautioned against expecting “sudden breakthroughs or dramatic events.” He reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to President Reagan’s September I Mideast peace initiative.
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