Shultz urges say for Palestinians

Press, 15 July 1982, Page 8

Shultz urges say for Palestinians

NZPA Washington The American Secretary of State-designate, • George Shultz, has signalled new United States support for resuming talks, with Palestinian participation. on Palestinian self-rule in Israeli-o.ccupied territories. . He told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday that there had to be legitimate Palestinian representation in the talks, which he defined as "stemming from the Palestinians themselves.” The Middle East was the focus of the panel's hearing at which Mr Shultz was questioned on a wide range of foreign policy issues. In a strongly worded statement, cleared at top levels of the Administration, Mr Shultz said: “The crisis in Lebanon makes painfully and totally clear a central reality of the Middle East: the legitimate needs and problems of the Palestinian people must be addressed and resolved urgently and in all their dimensions." The talks between Israel.

Egypt and the United States on Palestinian autonomy have been stalled over whether Jerusalem should be a venue for the meetings, as demanded by Israel. Egypt refuses to attend talks in Jerusalem because this would imply recognition of the disputed city as Israel's capital. Israel and Egypt are also far apart on the extent of autonomy to be granted in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel wishing to limit it to merely administrative matters. Mr Shultz noted that the Camp David peace plan worked out under the leadership of the former President, Jimmy Carter, had called for a Palestinian autonomy arrangement and a solution that recognised legitimate Palestinian rights.

“For these talks to succeed, representatives of the Palestinians themselves must participate in the negotiating process," he said. Under questioning, he said that the Palestine Liberation Organisation might be one of the representatives of the

Palestinians, but said it would first have to accept Israel’s existence and renounce terrorism. He said that he shared the American commitment to Israel's security and also emphasised the importance to American security of the “wide and ever strengthening ties with the Arabs." On other issues Mr Shultz: ® Supported the Administration's effort to build up United States defence, saying a strong defence laid ' the foundation for negotiations with the Soviet Union. © Voiced concern about w’hat he called dangerous trade protectionism around the world. © Generally opposed the idea of trade sanctions as an arm of diplomacy but said he agreed with President Ronald Reagan's ban on the use of American technology to help build a natural gas pipeline from the Soviet Union to Western Europe. The embargo, which angerd America's European allies. was one of the factors in Mr Alexander Haig's resignation.