Jordan Balks at Peace Talks

A spokesman for King Hussein of Jordan said yesterday, "Jordan is not obligated morally or materially" to comply with the Middle East peace framework reached at the Camp David talks.

The announcement came after Hussein talked with Crown Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia and President Hafez Assad of Syria.

The statement surprised Administration officials, who have been working along with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to sustain the current momentum towards a peace agreement.

The development followed President Carter's announcement Monday night that Secretary of State Cyrus Vance will go to the Middle East to meet with the leaders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to discuss the Camp David agreement. Hussein's decision to dissociate himself from those accords, however, will not change Vance's plans.

What, Me Worry?

White House press secretary Jody Powell said yesterday that he did not view Hussein's statement "as any contravention of the view expressed to President Carter, that they [the Jordanians] are awaiting a full briefing" before deciding on their position towards the agreement.

Meanwhile, Syrian President Assad, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) President Yassir Arafat and other "Rejectionist Front" leaders, harshly denounced Sadat's actions. Assad said yesterday, "Sadat has stripped himself of all Arab affinities."

The PLO has vowed to wage war against American interests in the Middle East and around the world in order to undermine the accords.

Begin and Sadat met separately with members of the House and Senate yesterday and discussed details of the agreements, as well as the problems that remain unsolved including the questions of Israeli settlements on the West Bank, in Gaza and Sinai.

The Israeli Knesset is scheduled to vote within the next two weeks on whether to negotiate the removal of Jewish settlements from the occupied territories, a condition Sadat demanded as a part of any Egyptian-Israeli settlement.

After the Congressional meetings, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Frank Church (D-Idaho) quoted Sadat as saying that "If the Arab countries do not immediately perceive the great stride that has been made they will soon come to perceive it."

Sadat plans to fly to Rabat, Moracco tomorrow and then continue on to Cairo, where he will meet with Hussein.

Opposition

Both Begin and Sadat face possible strong opposition to the agreements at home. Two members of Begin's 18-man cabinet have said they may resign in protest, and some political observers feel Begin does not have enough support in his Likud coalition to remain Prime Minister.

The full Knesset, however, will probably vote to support the accords, despite former Labor party Prime Minister Golda Meir's publicly announced opposition. The Knesset is to debate and vote on the treaties in the next two weeks.

Observers noted that Sadat's main problems are not domestic, but center on convincing the other Arab states that he has not sold them out or has concluded a separate peace with Israel.

Senator James Abourezk (D-S.Dak), the only Senate voice raised in opposition to the agreements said that, because of the agreements, "the remaining members of the Arab bloc will in all probability suffer deep divisions among themselves; radicalism, and all that comes with it, will be greatly encouraged."

Sadat told Senators that if the Knesset rejects the proposals it will halt the current progress towards peace.

However, Begin said if the accords are rejected he will work with Sadat to find an alternate solution.