U.S. Mideast Envoy Flying to Region for Peace Talks

Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy will visit Israel, Jordan and Egypt this week to consult with leaders on reviving the Middle East peace process, State Department officials said today.

No decision has been made on whether Murphy, assistant secretary for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs, will meet a joint Palestinian-Jordanian delegation, the State Department said in a statement.

Murphy was dispatched to the region by President Reagan and Secretary of State George P. Shultz, the department said.

Asked if the long-awaited meeting might occur during the Murphy mission, a senior department official said, “It’s an option, but no final decision has been made.”

Other Stops Possible

The official, speaking to reporters on condition that he not be identified, said Murphy will visit Israel, Jordan and Egypt in the next several days. He said the trip “might be expanded” to other countries, which could include Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Jordan’s King Hussein proposed the idea of a top-level U.S. meeting with a joint Palestinian-Jordanian delegation on Feb. 11 as part of his joint peace initiative with the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The Administration has been receptive to a meeting and Murphy has been ready to go to Amman, Jordan, for such a purpose.

There have been difficulties, however, in compiling a list of members for the delegation that would fall within the U.S. policy of not dealing with the PLO until it recognizes Israel’s right to exist and not provoking Israeli objections.

List From Hussein

Hussein last month forwarded a list of seven names for the delegation to the Administration. PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat reportedly had a hand in selecting the names, however, and the Israeli government objected to all but two.

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir was highly critical of such a meeting, saying it would “hurt the war against terrorism.”

The senior U.S. official said a meeting with a joint delegation will “obviously be a major topic” for discussion during Murphy’s trip. He added that no final decision had been made on the members of the delegation.

He said messages have been exchanged among the United States and countries in the area in recent weeks. “We’ve made some progress in that exchange of messages,” he said, adding that it is “time to go out and engage in the direct discussions.”