Middle East: The King Says, Not Yet

(2 of 2)

In his talks with President Reagan, the King explained that he could join the peace process only if he had the support of the Arab League and the P.L.O. At the very least, he said, he needed the P.L.O.'s tacit "acquiescence," and he thought he could get it. He said he was encouraged by the support he was receiving from the moderate Arab states and from the Palestinians in the West Bank. But before he could make any final decision, the King told Reagan, Israeli forces would have to be withdrawn from Lebanon, and the U.S. would have to pressure Israel to modify its settlements policy in the West Bank. Hussein also tried to ascertain whether Reagan would remain fully committed to the proposals he advanced in September, even if it means opposing Israel in the midst of the 1984 U.S. election campaign. Reagan responded to Hussein that he was "deeply committed" to the plan.

Hussein also conferred with Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger over his request for additional U.S. arms, including two squadrons of F-16 fighter bombers as well as air-to-air and antiaircraft missiles. The Administration was prepared to sell him the less advanced F-5G jet fighter (which, in a fascinating bit of bureaucratic legerdemain, has been renamed the F-20 to give it more sales appeal). But even this may prove difficult, given the sentiment in Congress against selling Jordan any new planes until it joins the negotiations. Nearly 60 Senators and 180 members of the House of Representatives have signed letters to this effect.

As it turned out, the President had some good news for his visitor: Israel and Lebanon had agreed to begin talks on the withdrawal of Israeli, Syrian and P.L.O. troops from Lebanon. The meetings, which will be held alternately in Khalde, south of Beirut, and in the Israeli border community of Qiryat Shemona, will deal with three issues: ending the state of belligerency between the two countries, making arrangements so as to keep any troops hostile to Israel out of southern Lebanon, and withdrawing the three foreign armies from the country. The Israeli position is that the removal of Israeli and Syrian forces could take place simultaneously, but only after the departure of the remaining P.L.O. units and the return of Israeli prisoners of war and the bodies of Israel's war dead. Lebanon would negotiate separately with Syria and the P.L.O.

After his four days in Washington, King Hussein flew home to consult with Arafat and other Arab leaders. He is expected to return to Washington within the next month for another round of talks. He hopes by then or, at the very latest, by the time the P.L.O.'s de facto parliament, the Palestine National Council, meets in Algiers in a few weeks, to have received from Arafat the "acquiescence" he feels he needs before joining serious negotiations. —By William E. Smith. Reported by William Stewart/Beirut and Gregory H. Wierzynski/Washington