Peres Shrugs Off Reaction to Peace Plan : Israeli Leader Also Heartened by Thaw in Jordan-Syria Ties

Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said today that he was not worried about Jordan’s initial negative reaction to his latest proposal on Middle East peace.

And Peres also told a gathering of U.S. Jewish leaders that reports of a thaw in relations between Jordan and Syria are significant and could mean a shift in King Hussein’s attitude toward the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Monday, in what he described as “a new diplomatic initiative,” Peres told the U.N. General Assembly that he was willing to travel to Jordan to participate in a peace conference. He also invited U.N. participation in efforts to bring the two sides together. (Story, Page 7.)

Jordan officially ignored the Peres offer, but a senior official in Amman said, “There is nothing new in it.”

‘Too Early to Judge’

Peres said today: “It’s too early to judge. I wouldn’t worry about the immediate reaction. The real reaction will come later in different ways.”

The Israeli leader, in New York for the United Nations’ 40th anniversary, spent much of his time today discussing reports from Gulf press agencies that Jordan and Syria had agreed to exchange ambassadors after a four-year diplomatic freeze and that Hussein and Syrian President Hafez Assad might soon meet.

” . . . If they really have reached an agreement, that means Jordan has come to the conclusion that the PLO is not a suitable negotiating partner,” Peres said.

He added: “If there is one person that Assad hates, it is Yassar Arafat.”

Hussein for PLO Role

Hussein has called for PLO participation in any settlement of the Middle East problem.

In Israel today, Peres faced a storm of protest from right-wing Cabinet colleagues over his call for early peace talks with Jordan.

Three powerful ministers said Peres’ speech to the U.N. General Assembly deviated from the agreement establishing Israel’s nine-party government.

Housing Minister David Levy, who is acting prime minister in Peres’ absence, said the speech has endangered the future of the rocky coalition.

Possibility of Swap Hit

In an interview with state radio, Levy attacked Peres for leaving open the possibility that Israel would trade captured Arab land in the West Bank for a peace agreement with Jordan.

Trade Minister Ariel Sharon said Peres’ speech bore no resemblance to government policy and Finance Minister Yitzhak Modai said he may respond by pumping more funds into Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

“It’s going to be hard to bring Labor and Likud to the same table, let alone Jordan and Israel,” said a commentator on state radio.

Western diplomats said although the speech appeared to contain no major concessions to Amman, it is questionable whether the prime minister can marshal sufficient support for the proposals from the hard-liners in his Cabinet.