Morocco’s King Pulls Back Offer, Sees Only Indirect Talks With Israel

King Hassan II of Morocco retreated Tuesday from a surprise offer to hold peace talks with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and said the offer was misinterpreted.

He told a selected group of French reporters that he does not envision any direct contacts with Peres but is ready for indirect negotiations through U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar.

After saying Monday that no conditions were attached to a meeting other than that Peres must put forward “serious proposals,” Hassan, an Arab moderate, reverted Tuesday to the longstanding Arab demand for a prior Israeli commitment to withdraw from Arab territories and recognize self-determination for the Palestinians.

“If Mr. Peres has something concrete to propose, he can put his proposals in an envelope and address them to the United Nations secretary general,” Hassan said.

He said he had made his earlier remarks in “general terms” intended to signify only that the Arab nations are prepared for a dialogue with Israel’s Labor government on condition that Israel agrees to “liberate the territories it occupied by force and recognize the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”

And he added that he places “great hopes” in Israel’s Labor Party, but he did not elaborate.

There was no official explanation for the apparent reversal of the king’s position. In Israel, however, government sources said the king had been embarrassed by the amount of public attention given to the prospective meeting.

“Hassan backed off because too much was made out of his remarks in Israel,” a source close to the Israeli-Moroccan discussions said.

Earlier, Peres had told high school students in the Israeli community of Bat Yam that a meeting would take place, but he did not say where or when it would be held.

A senior Israeli official commented Tuesday night that Hassan’s disclaimer “came as a surprise, but so did the original statement. It looks like he got badly hit by his Arab colleagues.”

The Israeli sources said the offer stemmed from contacts between members of the Israeli Parliament and Moroccan Jewish leaders. The sources included Israelis close to the secret talks, as well as members of the Sephardic Jewish community. Sephardic Jews include Jews from North Africa.

“Hassan is desperately seeking support from the American Jewish community,” one source said, adding that he needs U.S. economic aid and support for his Sahara war against the Polisario guerrillas.