The State Department grasped today an unconfirmed report from Cairo as a means to reiterate in stronger terms than before the United States policy toward the Palestine Liberation Organization. A Department spokesman said that he had “nothing to support” the report that a U.S. official was meeting with PLO representatives and moderate Palestinians in the Middle East.
Before responding to a question as to whether the report was true, State Department spokesman Tom Reston immediately said that “the United States will not talk with the PLO unless it accepts United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and the right of all states in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries.”
The State Department did not previously speak of “all states” but usually included the phrase “Israel’s right to exist in peace.” The significance was seen in that the U.S. may be warning the PLO not to interfere in Arab states which may be seeking an accommodation with Israel.
Reston also said that in the course of diplomatic contacts, “we may have discussions with Palestinians who live in many parts of the world” and that “there is nothing secret regarding these contacts.” He did not identify the Palestinians.
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