Fahd, Reagan End Talks With No Agreement

President Reagan and Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd stuck by their separate Mideast peace plans Tuesday, ending two days of friendly but inconclusive talks without reaching agreement on a joint approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Reagan and Fahd met for an hour and 15 minutes over breakfast at the White House, and presidential spokesman Larry Speakes said it gave them an opportunity to “develop a personal understanding of each other’s position and take advantage of the unique perspectives on the Middle East that each holds.”

But Speakes said the meeting and a longer series of talks Monday produced no changes in basic policy on either side.

40 Years of Friendship

In a series of public statements, Reagan spoke glowingly of 40 years of U.S.-Saudi friendship, which he described as “a strong and vital force in the world.” But there was little doubt that Washington and Riyadh have both lowered their expectations of what they can expect from each other in the turbulent Middle East.

In the late 1970s, the United States looked to Saudi Arabia to become a moderating force in the Arab world, using its ample petroleum wealth to encourage Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and other Arab states to cooperate in U.S. efforts to mediate peace between Israel and its neighbors. But Saudi diplomacy never lived up to Washington’s high hopes, and Riyadh’s economic power, although still substantial, has declined with the international oil glut and falling oil prices.

In speeches Monday, Reagan urged the Saudis to try to persuade Jordan to open direct peace talks with Israel. But U.S. officials did not seem particularly surprised that Fahd did not immediately agree.

For his part, Fahd, the first of a parade of Arab leaders scheduled to visit Washington in the next two months, had hoped to persuade the United States to take a more active role in Mideast diplomacy--preferably by pressuring Israel to ease its opposition to creation of a Palestinian homeland.

Reagan responded by reiterating his Sept. 1, 1982, proposal for a Palestinian entity in association with Jordan in the Israeli-occupied West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza Strip. That plan has been rejected by Israel, Jordan and the Palestine Liberation Organization, although U.S. officials say it may yet be revived.

Willingness to Compromise

Other U.S. officials have said that Washington will resume its role as Mideast go-between only if Israel and its Arab rivals show a willingness to compromise. These officials say that Israel and several of the Arab parties have regularly urged the United States to step up its diplomatic activity. The stock American reply, they say, is to ask the requesting party what compromises it is prepared to make to give U.S. mediators some bargaining tools.

Reagan adopted that technique by telling Fahd that Washington is ready to offer assistance once Israel begins direct negotiations with some Arab party.

Although Fahd completed his scheduled talks with Reagan on Tuesday, he plans to remain in Washington until Friday and to meet with other U.S. officials, including Vice President George Bush and several Cabinet officers.