Israel (Hansard, 18 December 1985)

§ 6. Mr. Mikardo
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Israel.

§ Mr. Renton
I visited Israel from 12 to 16 December. In my talks there I had a useful exchange of views on bilateral matters and regional and international issues. I also met Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

§ Mr. Mikardo
I am grateful to the Minister for that statement. During his discussions, did he get any information that he can share with the House about private or public talks between Israelis and Jordanians, and did he draw any conclusions from that information favourable to the furtherance in the near future of the peace process?

§ Mr. Renton
The hon. Gentleman will accept that if I had private information on that subject during the talks I would not be able to share it with him, much as I would like to do so. It is well known that a great many discussions are going on between capitals in the middle east. It is generally accepted that impetus must be given to the peace process if there is to be progress towards a just and comprehensive settlement.

§ Mr. Nelson
Will my hon. Friend lend his support, as others have done, to the current rapprochement between Syria and Jordan? Will he lend his weight to ensuring that any direct negotiations between the states of Israel and Jordan, or indirectly through the medium of an international peace process, are enhanced rather than detracted from by any such new axis?

§ Mr. Renton
When in Damascus, where I met President Assad, I had an opportunity to talk about the new rapprochement between Jordan and Syria with him and with Vice President Haddam. This is a new development in the middle east scene and I strongly hope that it will have a successful influence in advancing the peace process. It is too early to say whether it will go in precisely the manner in which my hon. Friend suggests, but it is noticeable that Syria is now showing considerable interest in playing a part in the peace process.

§ Mr. Faulds
Would it not be advantageous to the peace process in the middle east, which Chairman Arafat is assiduously trying to pursue, if the Foreign Secretary were to convince the United States Government to abandon their commitment to the Kissinger promise, given at the insistence of Israel, that the US would not accept the PLO? Would it not help the whole peace process if the Foreign 290 Secretary could urge the US Government to overcome, by whatever means are feasible, the intellectual limitations of the President's comprehension of anything and everything?

§ Mr. Renton
I find that comprehensive endorsement of Mr. Arafat's stance rather surprising. President Mubarak and King Hussein, especially the latter, have asked Mr. Arafat to make specific declarations on United Nations resolutions about Israel's right to exist within secure frontiers, but Mr. Arafat has not yet made any. Until he adopts a far clearer position in that context, he cannot expect to receive any wider international recognition.