State Department Says Reagans Plan Was the ‘first Step’ in a ‘very Serious Initiative’

The State Department said today that President Reagan’s proposals for a Middle East peace which he outlined in a television address last night was the “first step” in a “very serious initiative by the President.”

But Department spokesman John Hughes was vague in how the Administration would proceed with the initiative except to say that it will involve a very energetic diplomatic process. He said the Arab states are studying the proposal but there has been no official reaction from them, as yet.

As for the Israeli reaction, Hughes refused to call the Israeli Cabinet decision today a rejection of the proposals. He said the U.S. was “not disappointed nor surprised by the Israeli reaction today since there are different interpretations of the Camp David accords and the peace process.”

SHULTZ FINDS IT HARD TO BELIEVE

But Secretary of State George Shultz, interviewed today on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America,” said there were so many things in Reagan’s speech last night that he could not see a “total rejection” of them by Israel. “It’s hard for me to believe that Israel would reject the ideas of peace,” Shultz said.

“It’s hard for me to believe that Israel would reject the idea that they should be recognized by their neighbors as a state that is a reality. It’s hard for me to be lieve that they would reject the pledges of support for their security” that the President gave.”

CITE’S PURPOSE OF REAGAN’S PROPOSALS

Shultz said that the purpose of the President’s proposals was to”draw people to the peace table.” He implied that the continued creation of Israeli settlements on the West Bank hampered this. “If the Israelis insist on settling the West Bank, they have in effect, annexed it,” he said.

“That’s the way the Arabs look at that. So I think that if what is wanted is a chance for peace –is people at the bargaining table beyond those that are there now — then there has to be some statement of intention to negotiate about what’s going to happen in” the West Bank and Gaza.

While noting that Reagan called on Israel to put a freeze on new settlements, Hughes refused to comment today on whether the settlement issue was included in the Camp David agreements. He said the President made his proposal on a freeze to facilitate the peace process. “There is nothing inconsistent with Camp David in encouraging any state to take an action which he (Reagan) believes will facilitate the peace process,” Hughes said.

A major aim of the President’s speech was to encourage the Palestinians and Jordan to enter the autonomy negotiations. Shultz, in his television interview, said that King Hussein of Jordan is taking Reagan’s proposals “seriously” and is studying them, but “has made no commitments.”

Shultz said that if Hussein joined the talks, “presumably he would speak, at least initially, for the Palestinians.” At the same time, the Secretary said, “There are Palestinians on the West Bank who somehow should be represented.” But he stressed that whoever represents the Palestinians must be accepted by them as “legitimately” their spokesman. “It isn’t reasonable to expect the Palestinians to go along with representation by them by somebody picked by the Israelis,” he said.

REJECTS ROLE FOR PLO

But Shultz rejected the contention by the TV interviewer that the Palestinians consider the Palestine Liberation Organization as their representative “What Palestinians?” he asked. “Where has there been a vote on that? There are all sorts of factions within the PLO. There are various ways in which the Palestinians may very well represent themselves.

As the same time, Shultz stressed that the U.S. will not conduct any direct discussions with the PLO until they meet the conditions that have been set down since 1975.

Meanwhile, Shultz was explaining the President’s proposals at separate briefings today for groups of Arab Americans and American Jewish leaders. Nicholas Veliotes, Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian affairs, was explaining the proposals to Ambassadors of the Arab League countries. One purpose of Reagan’s speech last night was to present his proposals before the Arab League meets in Fez, Morocco, September 6.