A Treasury Department official said today that the U.S. is determined to prevent the Palestine Liberation Organization from attending the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as an observer later this year. “Our position on the PLO observer status is very clear. We oppse the PLO and will continue to do everything possible to keep them out,” Marc Leland, Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, told reporters.
Leland spoke at a press briefing at which it was announced that Treasury Secretary Donald Regan will leave for Saudi Arabia tomorrow to attend the annual meeting of the joint U.S.-Saudi Commission on Economic Cooperation. He will also go to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for discussions with officials there and then to Libreville, Gabon, to attend a meeting of the IMF’s interim committee.
The issue of PLO observer status at the IMF meeting in Washington is expected to be raised. Leland’s remarks today indicated that the U.S. is uncompromising in its opposition. The PLO aim is supported by a number of Third World countries and the Arab oil-producing states. The issue come up at last year’s IMF meeting and delayed efforts by that body to secure required financing from Saudi Arabia. It was agreed at the time to turn the matter over to a committee for study.
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