U.S. Seeks Saudi Peace Talks Role : Reagan Asks Visiting King to Induce Jordan to Enter Direct Discussions

President Reagan called on Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd on Monday to use his influence “as a leading Arab statesman” to persuade Jordan and possibly other Arab states to open direct peace talks with Israel.

Fahd, beginning his first official visit to Washington since ascending the throne in June, 1982, responded by urging the United States to resume its role as Mideast mediator and to throw its support behind “the just cause of the Palestinian people.”

The President and the monarch both used the word tragedy to describe the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Palestinian problem, but each suggested that the other take the political risks entailed in seeking a settlement.

Although neither Reagan nor Fahd said so in public, it was clear that the Saudi leader wants the United States to pressure Israel to make concessions, while the President wants the Saudis to wring concessions from the Arabs.

“Together, our considerable influence and our moral suasion can, at the very least, decrease the threat of war,” Reagan said after a 21-gun salute to Fahd on the White House lawn. “If the Saudi and American governments focus their energies, progress can be made, especially in the lingering dispute between Israel and her neighbors.”

Must Take First Step

But a senior Administration official said later that Reagan made it clear that Saudi Arabia must take the first step in bringing about such a partnership by persuading some Arab parties to negotiate with Israel.

The official, who briefed reporters on the understanding that he would not be identified, said direct U.S. involvement in the peace process “comes when there are direct negotiations with an Arab interlocutor at the table.”

About the time Reagan and Fahd sat down for private meetings at the White House, news agencies reported from Amman that Jordan’s King Hussein and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat have reached agreement on a framework for a joint effort to solve the Palestinian issue. The reports contained no details and did not indicate whether Hussein would be prepared to negotiate directly with the Israelis.

The U.S. official said he was aware of the reports but did not know whether they constituted a breakthrough. “The major break would come the day that Jordan is able to announce its readiness to move into direct negotiations,” he said.

Reagan, in his welcoming remarks, said: “I continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 is within reach. The security of Israel and other nations in the region and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people can and should be addressed in direct negotiations. It is time to put this tragedy to rest and turn the page to a new and happier chapter.”

Territory for Peace

Resolution 242 calls for Israel to withdraw from territories it captured during the Six-Day War of 1967, including the West Bank of the Jordan River, in exchange for peace within recognized borders.

In his speech responding to Reagan’s welcome, Fahd said: “The Palestinian question is the single problem that is of paramount concern to the whole Arab (world) and affects the relations of its peoples and countries with the outside world. It is the one problem that is the root cause of instability and turmoil in the region. I hope, Mr. President, that your Administration will support the just cause of the Palestinian people.”

Reagan’s use of the phrase “the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” reflected a U.S. position contained in the Camp David accords, signed by Egypt and Israel in 1978. But the words have an ambiguous meaning.

A Palestinian Entity

To the Arab states, the phrase means an independent Palestinian state, almost certainly with the PLO at its head. To the Israelis, the same phrase means a form of limited self-government for Palestinians under overall Israeli control. Reagan gave his own definition in his Sept. 1, 1982, Middle East peace initiative, describing a Palestinian entity in association with Jordan.

The senior U.S. official said the United States will not insist that the Reagan plan form the basis for Arab-Israeli negotiations, although he said the United States continues to support that approach. But he said the talks must be based on U.N. Resolution 242.

Reagan and Fahd, accompanied by key aides, met for more than an hour Monday morning. They were together again Monday night during a black-tie banquet at the White House. And, in an unscheduled extension of the talks, they agreed to have breakfast together today at the White House.