The State Department said today that it was looking into ways the U.S. could meet with a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation, although it conceded that the major problem is the “composition” of the Palestinians in the delegation.
At the same time, State Department deputy spokesman Edward Djerejian stressed that such a meeting would be an “exploratory process” aimed at bringing about direct negotiations between the Arabs and Israelis. Djerejian noted at one point that the Palestinians in the delegation would be “non-PLO Palestinians” but he refused all comment on how the U.S. would determine if any of the delegates were members of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
He indicated, however, that the participants may be members of the Palestine National Council which sets policy for the PLO but includes members from the West Bank and Gaza. Djerejian stressed that the U.S. believes that “public discussion will not be helpful” at this time.
Richard Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, during his recent visit to the Middle East, met with Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza and apparently sought to persuade them to provide non-PLO members for the joint delegation. The Palestinians reportedly said the PLO was the spokesman for all Palestinians.
The U.S. apparently believes that if the Palestinian delegates are chosen from the West Bank and Gaza, it will overcome objections to any possible membership in the PLO both for a meeting with the U.S. and for later hoped for negotiations with Israel.
However, King Hussein of Jordan and PLO chief Yasir Arafat, in their February II joint agreement, seek an international conference which would include the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and not direct talks with Israel. A Jordanian-Palestinian delegation is seeking meetings with all five powers, but reportedly the Soviet Union has refused to meet with it, apparently to placate Syria which is opposed to the negotiations.
The PLO, however, claims that the Soviet Union is ready to accept a visit from a PLO group.
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
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.
