INTERNATIONAL NOTES: Burning Issues

King Hussein himself was at the controls last week when his Royal Jordanian Airline 707 touched down in Washington. The landing was professionally smooth, and so too were his discussions at the White House, where the King briefed President Nixon on his proposal to turn Jordan and the occupied West Bank into a United Arab kingdom of semiautonomous regions after peace is negotiated with Israel.

Initially Hussein had hoped that the unity proposal would become an issue in the Israeli-sponsored municipal elections that took place on the West Bank last week, and that candidates supporting him would be elected. As it turned out, most incumbent mayors were returned to office without having to declare themselves, and the burning issues proved to be garbage collection and improvement of water supplies. Hussein nevertheless got a careful hearing in Washington, where the White House allowed that the two leaders’ meeting had been “very cordial.” Any stronger endorsement of the King’s plan, as both sides knew, would condemn it in the eyes of other Arab states, which already suspect Hussein’s dealings with Israel.

The extent of U.S. approbation was made clear in other ways. Military aid to Jordan was increased $10 million, to $55 million, and it included M-16 rifles that Hussein had asked for together with needed tanks for his armored forces. The Pentagon did, however, turn down Hussein’s request for F-4 Phantom jets, which the U.S. supplies to Israel. It suggested that the Jordanian air force, with limited missions, might do better with the less sophisticated F-5s and F-104 Starfighters.