U.S. Supports Israel’s Peace Plan, Arens Says

Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Arens said Thursday that he has obtained a “very large measure” of support from U.S. officials for his government’s controversial proposal to hold elections among Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“There is a very large degree of understanding and a very large measure of agreement on the issues we discussed,” Arens said after a 45-minute meeting with Secretary of State James A. Baker III.

Arens also said he has won backing for a three-way meeting involving President Bush and the leaders of Israel and Egypt, which is one of four elements of the peace plan approved by the Israeli Cabinet and Parliament earlier this week.

“I think we have a commitment of the Administration here to support . . . the entire initiative,” Arens said.

The three-way meeting of the governments that signed the 1978 Camp David Accords would be intended as a reaffirmation of that pact, which led to peace between Israel and Egypt. Other aspects of the Israeli plan include establishing normal relations between Israel and other Arab neighbors and an international effort to improve living conditions for Palestinians.

But a U.S. official, speaking on condition he not be named, said that while the Israeli plan had “promising possibilities, much work needs to be done.”

The official also said that Baker told Arens the next step would be for Israel to start talks with Palestinians in the occupied territories.

Arens, who earlier in the day met with National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and plans to meet with Vice President Dan Quayle today, told reporters he did not discuss details of the plan.

“I don’t think we should get sidetracked . . . in talking about this or that detail,” he said.