The World - News from Nov. 10, 1987

An Israeli official said the Soviet Union has softened its demand for a separate seat for the Palestine Liberation Organization at any Middle East peace conference. The official said that Moscow’s position, outlined by Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze to Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in September, could remove one obstacle to such a conference, which would serve as a forum for direct peace talks between Israel and Jordan. But obstacles remain. U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz said last month that the chances of convening a conference are so remote that Arab and Israeli diplomats should stop wasting time with the idea and turn to the substance of the dispute.