47
CAPITOL REPORT
WOLF BLITZER
Hussein Offers New Ideas
On Peace Process Revival
Jordan's King Hussein has
presented some new ideas to
President Ronald Reagan on re-
viving the Arab-Israeli peace
process, a senior Administration
official said.
The official, who asked not to
be identified by name, told
reporters at a White House
briefing last Monday that the
U.S. would now "study" Hus-
sein's proposals which were of-
fered during a one-hour meeting
with Reagan. The official refus-
ed to provide details of Hussein's
ideas.
Other U.S. officials said that
the King was strongly encourag-
ing the U.S. to take a more deter-
mined and active role in the
peace process, especially in try-
ing to promote the recent signs
of rapproachement between Jor-
dan and Syria as well as between
Iraq and Syria. A meeting of the
Syrian and Iraqi foreign min-
isters is scheduled for later this
month. Jordan was instrumental
in helping to arrange that
meeting.
The senior U.S. official said
that the U.S. shared Jordan's
assessment of the important role
played by Syria in the region.
The official also said that
Reagan had reaffirmed to Hus-
sein that the President's Sept. 1,
1982, Arab-Israeli peace in-
itiative continues to represent
the basic American position on
the peace process.
Hussein, according to the U.S.
official, told Reagan that "Syria
is interested in peace and wants
to be part of a comprehensive
settlement." The king, for his
part, did not make any public
statements.
At the briefing, the U.S. of-
ficial said that the Admin-
istration would welcome an im-
provement in Syria's relations
with both Jordan and Iraq pro-
vided that it resulted in a re-
duced level of tension in the
region.
Hussein was in the U.S. on a
private visit. He attended the
high school graduation cere-
monies of two of his daughters,
and he was also scheduled to
check into the Cleveland Clinic
for what was described as a
routine physical examination.
Hussein was then to return to
Washington for separate meet-
ings with members of Congress
and others.
Hussein, who during this visit
also met separately with Vice
President George Bush, Secre-
tary of State George Shultz and
Secretary of Defense Caspar
Weinberger, was described by
the U.S. briefer as an "old and
valued" friend of the United
States. The U.S. official said that
Jordan was a "moderate Arab
state in an area of shrill voice"s."
He praised Jordan's "calm and
balanced views."
Reagan was said to have reaf-
firmed U.S. support for Jordan,
including for its military re-
quirements. A sale of fighter
bombers and anti-aircraft
missiles has been placed on hold
for the past several months
because of widespread opposi-
tion in Congress. At some point,
the Reagan Administration is
expected to once again press
that issue.
The U.S. official said that
Shultz was prepared to return to
the Middle East but only if here
were assured in advance that
such a visit would promote the
peace process. There was no
discussion of a Shultz visit to
the region during the Hussein-
Reagan meeting, according to
the official.
The King is also committed to
finding an acceptable Palestin-
ian representation in any peace
negotiations, the official said.
"The King has never felt that he
could go it alone," he said. But
last year's determined effort to
reach a common stance with
Yasser Arafat and the PLO
failed.
There were no indications that
there had been any recent
breakthrough in reviving Jor-
dan's dialogue with the PLO.
Meanwhile, the U.S. imposed
strict new controls on all chem-
ical exports to Syria, expressing
concern over Syria's chemical
weapons prciduction.
The U.S. had earlier imposed
similar restrictions on chemical
exports to Iran and Iraq.
"This decision is in accordance
with U.S. foreign policy which
opposes the prohibited use of
chemical weapons," the State
Department said in a statement.
`!We have known for several
years that both Iran and Iraq
have had active, ongoing pro-
grams to develop chemical
weapons."
The statement went on to note
that Syria was now placed on a
similar control list because Syria
"may have chemical weapons
capability and has assisted Iran
and the Iranian war effort."
While pointing out that Iran
has not used chemical warfare
against Iraq, the State Depart-
ment said that the ban on these
exports to Syria was designed
"to impede the use of chemical
weapons by either belligerent."
In the past, the U.S. has accused
Iraq of using chemical weapons
against Iran.
State Department spokesman
Bernard Kalb said Syria also re-
mains on the official U.S. list of
countries which. sponsor interna-
tional terrorism.
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IT'S
OL' 25th
ANNIVERSARY
S
Educator Urges
Sex Education
New York — A New York
Jewish educator has proposed
that Jewish schools of all types
add sex education courses to their
curricula, contending that the
need for such courses had been
made clear by the fact that "stu-
dents in Jewish schools are not
free of the provocations of our
open, sex-oriented society."
The proposal was made by Nax
Nadel of Queens, a former princi-
pal of a Reform synagogue school
and an educator who has served
as a consultant for the Jewish
Education Service of North
America.
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