Baker Assails Arab’s Claim as PLO Delegate
Secretary of State James A. Baker III on Sunday denounced a Palestinian representative to the Madrid peace conference who has claimed that he is representing the Palestine Liberation Organization.
The Palestinian, Saed Erekat, declared last week that he and the other Palestinian delegates who will attend as representatives of a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation had been selected by the PLO.
Erekat’s remarks threatened to touch off new diplomatic wrangling over the composition of the Palestinian delegation in the final days before the scheduled start of the peace conference. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens on Sunday accused the Palestinians of “a deliberate attempt . . . to scuttle the negotiations.”
It appeared Sunday that the United States, which will serve along with the Soviet Union as co-sponsor of the peace talks, might seek either to have Erekat retract his remarks or to step down as a Palestinian delegate.
“We were disturbed by the comment. . . ,” Baker said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week With David Brinkley.”
“We certainly thought it was provocative. And we think that it goes outside the bounds of the standards that we have negotiated and agreed upon with the (Palestinian) party. So we’re disappointed.”
The Israeli government has said repeatedly that it will not recognize or negotiate with the PLO.
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