After his meeting with the Egyptian envoy 0sama el-Baz, Mr. Peres declared that Israel was prepared to go to Cairo for a meeting with a Jordanian, a Jordanian-Palestinian delegation with American participation. But Israel rejected any PLO involvement in the meeting. He also rejected any notion that the PLO has moderated its stance. At such a meeting the Jordanians, the Palestinians and the Israelis would put their proposals on the table. Excerpts:
"...May I say that the mere fact that Egypt is committing itself to the continuation of the strategy of peace is a move that we welcome. I know that there will be many people who will try to analyze it, one way or another... I feel very strongly that this is a move in the right direction - a welcome move as far as we are concerned. All our friends and neighbors are waiting for the Israeli response, and I should like to reply clearly as to what I feel is the right thing to do, what is acceptable to us.
"...The idea of a direct meeting between the Jordanians and the Israelis is a right idea, and I welcome it completely, without any qualifications. Their suggestion that it should be done in Cairo is completely acceptable to us. Why not? Cairo is a nice city and the Egyptians are known for their hospitality, and we shall gladly go to Cairo. Their suggestion that the president of Egypt host this meeting is fair and nice, and we shall like to see him as our host. The proposal that the Americans will participate - yes, is acceptable to us.
"A joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation is, again, acceptable to us - no quest on. Palestinians, but not terrorists; Palestinians, but no terror. No matter who a terrorist is, whether Palestinian or Syrian, what counts is the fact that he is terrorizing. We invite people who are ready to use a microphone, not a pistol; who are ready to talk, not to shoot. Talking and shooting do not go together, and we reject people who shoot, kill, assassinate or terrorize.
"I want to say, again clearly, that I have just been to some European countries... and everywhere, people kept telling me that the PLO has changed and become moderate. I told them: 'Gentlemen, you are listening to terrorism, we are watching it; and when one watches terrorism one knows that it has not really changed. They are continuing to terrorize our lives, and we cannot accept or accommodate a terrorist organization.' So that cannot be accepted. I also want to say, regarding the Jordanian or the Jordanian-Palestinian delegation, that we would like to solve all the problems, the Jordanian-Israeli problems or the Palestinian problems, in a peaceful way, in a diplomatic manner, in a face-to-face dialogue without fear and without prejudice and without conditions.
"The Jordanians are surely entitled to put on the table whatever proposals they may have in their minds, and we shall do likewise. We shall put our proposals on the table as we see them and understand them. Our conditions will not constitute a dictate, and their conditions cannot be a dictate. Each of us has the right to suggest what he feels is right, and none of us has the right to deny the right of the other party whose suggestion it is. I know that we are starting from a [position of] controversy, but if we had an agreement we would not need a conference, we would not need any negotiations - and we cannot reach an agreement without negotiations, or before negotiations, and we have to agree now to negotiate, in Cairo, under the hospitality of the Egyptian president, with American participation, with a Jordanian-Palestinian delegation without the PLO - without a declared member of a terrorist organization - 'and with the Israeli delegation."