The European Economic Community (EEC) will issue a declaration on the Middle East this week expected to include elements aimed at encouraging King Hussein of Jordan to join the peace process in that area. Hussein ended two days of talks with West German political leaders here over the weekend.
The EEC, whose Council of Ministers is currently chaired by West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher is expected to call for an immediate, total freeze on Jewish settlements on the West Bank and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. Hussein is understood to have told German leaders that without a settlement freeze and the evacuation of Lebanon it was impossible for him to participate in peace talks.
He told Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Genscher that his future role in the peace process will depend to a large degree on getting a mandate from various bodies of the Palestine Liberation Organization to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians.
Diplomats here say Bonn has demonstrated sympathy and understanding for Hussein’s complicated situation and was willing to explore ways to help him create the necessary conditions for participation in the Middle East peace process. The EEC declaration on the Middle East will be issued in Brussels this Tuesday during a summit meeting of the heads of the 10 member states.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
