Baker Urges Soviets to Back Shamir Plan

Secretary of State James A. Baker III, hoping to take advantage of Moscow’s influence with Syria and the Palestine Liberation Organization, called on the Soviet Union on Friday to join the United States in supporting Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s plan for elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler said that U.S. Ambassador Jack F. Matlock Jr. delivered a letter from Baker to Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze outlining U.S. policy in the Middle East and proposing a comprehensive discussion of the subject when Baker visits Moscow early next month.

Tutwiler declined to go into detail, but another State Department official said later that Baker suggested the Soviets should “do their part in moving this process forward by urging everyone to keep an open mind.”

U.S. officials believe that Syria and the PLO hold an effective veto over West Bank and Gaza elections because either one could disrupt the balloting.

The United States has already urged both Syria and the PLO to refrain from blocking the elections. However, U.S. officials believe that the Soviet Union has more influence than the United States with the two parties.

Moscow’s opinions carry substantial weight with the PLO because the Soviet Union was, for many years, the only superpower to have any sort of friendly relationship with the organization. Syria obtains all of its sophisticated arms and much of its economic support from the Soviet Union.

Shamir Unveils Plan

Shamir last week unveiled his plan for Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza to elect delegates to negotiate with Israel over limited Palestinian self-government. The Israeli prime minister said that details of the election would have to be worked out later.

In a speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors on Friday, Baker described Shamir’s proposal as “a positive step worthy of further consideration.”

“In the coming weeks, we will discuss with Israel and the Arabs the details of these ideas, how to build on them, and how they fit into the larger picture of setting the stage for negotiations,” Baker said.

In his letter to Shevardnadze, Baker summarized last week’s talks by U.S. officials with Shamir and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the State Department official said. He urged the Soviets to regard the proposed elections “as an opportunity to move the peace process forward,” the official said.

Although the official said that Baker did not specifically urge the Soviets to pressure either Syria or the PLO, the implication was clear.

At the same time, the official said, Baker chided Moscow for its decision to sell sophisticated SU-24 medium-range bombers to Libya, a nation that Washington has long accused of supporting international terrorism.

The bombers, with a combat radius of 800 miles, bring within range targets throughout the eastern Mediterranean region, including all of Israel.

“Baker said that sale was not constructive,” the official said.