PEACE PLAN Only Israel’s Reply Awaited In U.S.

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32360, 28 July 1970, Page 17

PEACE PLAN Only Israel’s Reply Awaited In U.S.

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, July 27. The United States is now awaiting a response only from Israel to its Middle East peace proposals after Jordan’s apparently favourable reply announced in Amman yesterday. Egypt gave what the State Department characterised as a positive answer to the proposals by the United States to stop the fighting and begin peace talks between Israel and the Arab nations.

A State Department spokesman said yesterday that there would be no official comment on Jordan’s reply, but if the reply was similar to Egypt’s, it would also be described as positive.

political body, on Thursday. Jordan declared its acceptance of the plan last night as the Egyptian congress at its closing session endorsed President Nasser’s move to accept the American initiative based on the 1967 Security Council resolutions. Both Egypt and Jordan have accepted the resolutions.

claim that Jordan, Egypt and Israel had agreed to hold indirect peace talks on the basis of American proposals was de; nied by the Jordanian Interior Minister (Mr Suleman AlHadidi) today who told N.Z.P.A.-Reuter that the text of the purported agreements published in the commando newspaper, “Fatah,” was of old American proposals that had already been rejected. The comments by Mr Hadidi, who is a commando supporter, confirmed the impression among political observers that what “Fatah” had published was a version of proposals made by Washington last year for bilateral peace agreements between Israel and Jordan and Israel and Egypt

Tuesday Meeting Israel’s Cabinet will meet again on Tuesday after a daylong session yesterday devoted to considering the latest American Middle East peace proposals. The Cabinet deliberations are going on against a background of speculation here that Israel will eventually announce a qualified acceptance of the American plan. The decision to call a second meeting indicates that Israel is seeking further clarification from Washington before announcing its stand. But usually well-informed sources said that Israel was expected to make a condition that the minimum 90day cease-fire condition contained in the American formula would not be exploited by the Soviet Union and Egypt for increasing their military potential along the Suez Canal front

One of the most openlyexpressed reservations in Jerusalem to the plan has been a fear that the Russians and Egyptians might use the cease-fire to intensify their missile system and build up a military infrastructure for an assault across the canal after the 90 days end. The Jordanian reply, approved unanimously at a Cabinet meeting last night, is being conveyed to the United States by the Foreign Minister (Mr Anton Attallah). Syrian Rejection Syria last night belatedly rejected the plan, which it did not receive because it had refused to abide by the Security Council resolutions. Iraq has also denounced the plan, but, so far, no other Arab country has reacted. The Palestine commandos’

President Nasser, in accepting the United States proposal forwarded on June 19, expressed doubt that it would lead to peace because of what he called Israeli intransigence. Informed sources in Washington said that Israel would probably give qualified approval to the American peace bid sometime later this week. The proposals made by the United States Secretary of State (Mr William Rogers) called for a cease-fire of at least 90 days and indirect Arab-Israeli talks under the auspices of the United Nations mediator. Dr Gunnar Jarring, of Sweden. The talks would be geared to the United Nations Security Council resolution of November, 1967, which called for Arab recognition of Israel’s existence as a State and the withdrawal of Israel from territories occupied during the 1967 Middle East war. Stiff Opposition In Beirut, President Nasser and his ally, King Hussein of Jordan, have come up against stiff opposition from the Palestine guerrilla movement for accepting the United States proposal. The guerrillas see in the plan the crushing of their armed struggle for tile disbandment of the Zionist State of Israel and have conse quently bitterly denounced it The radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (P.F.L.P.) has threatened to turn the region into a hell if the plan, submitted to Egypt Jordan and Israel, was implemented. • * -jThe Egyptian leader announced his unqualified approval of the June 19 peace plan in a speech opening the Fourth Congress of the Arab Socialist Union, Egypt’s only