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Jarring to Visit Jerusalem Today in New Bid to Bring Israel and Arabs to Talks

April 16, 1968
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The United Nations peace envoy, Ambassador Gunnar Jarring, is expected here tomorrow following his visit yesterday to Amman. Observers said that he is trying to secure an agreement by both Israel and Jordan to implement the terms of the Security Council’s Nov. 22, 1967 resolution under which his mission was established, with a view to bringing both countries to the conference table.

They; noted, however, that each side sees that resolution from a different angle. Israel and the Western nations regard it as, first of all, requiring an agreement between the parties concerned, after which the other steps called for can be taken. The Arab countries and the Eastern bloc say the resolution is not a guideline for the Jarring mission but a series of decisions that must be implemented. the first being the withdrawal of Israel from territories occupied in last June’s Middle East war. Ambassador Jarring, it is believed, will try to get a declaration from Israel that it will carry out all recommendations of the Nov. 22 resolution once agreements have been reached, and a similar declaration from Jordan, The fact that Dr. Jarring has not gone to Cairo in his current round of visits to the Arab and Israeli capitals is seen by observers here as indicating that he takes Egypt’s refusal to meet with Israel as final. They point out that the U.N. envoy is working to bring the two sides together rather than acting an a mediator between them. He has already suggested a meeting on Cyprus and while Jordan’s reply was seen as noncommittal, Egypt rejected the proposal outright.

(The London Observer reported from Amman yesterday that the Jordanian capital is buzzing with rumors of impending Israel-Jordan negotiations, following Dr. Jarring’s most recent visit. According to the paper, reports were “leaked” prior to Dr. Jarring’s departure that he had submitted “certain Israeli proposals” and that the United States was exerting influence on Israel to be more tractable.

(“The question is how far the United States” Influence can move Israel, in its present position of intimidating strength, from its determination to hold out for direct negotiations,” the Observer said. The paper reported that diplomatic circles in Amman claim to know that Egyptian President Nasser gave King Hussein the “green light” to negotiate during the latter’s visit to Cairo last week. It was also reported that Nasser told Jarring he would agree to negotiations between Jordan and Israel on condition that an acceptable solution of the Jerusalem question was found.)

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