Statement Agreeing to Dialogue with the PLO
(December 14, 1988)
The Arafat
clarifications satisfied the United States, and among the final
major foreign policy acts of the outgoing Reagan Administration, the
U.S. virtually recognized the PLO and the president authorized the State Department to enter into a
dialogue with that organization. Contacts were entered into the next
day by the U.S. ambassador in Tunisia. Attempts were made by the
president to assure Israel when he stated that "The United
States' special commitment to Israel's security and well-being remains
unshakable.
"The Palestine
Liberation Organization today issued a statement in which it accepted
United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, recognized Israel's right
to exist and renounced terrorism. These have long been our conditions
for a substantive dialogue. They have been met. Therefore I have
authorized the State Department to enter into a substantive dialogue
with PLO representatives. The Palestine Liberation Organization must
live up to its statements. In particular it must demonstrate that its
renunciation of terrorism is pervasive and permanent. "The
initiation of a dialogue between the United States and PLO
representatives is an important step in the peace process, the more so
because it represents the serious evolution of Palestinian thinking
towards realistic and pragmatic positions on the key issues. But the
objective of the United States remains, as always, a comprehensive
peace in the Middle East.
"In that light, we view
this development as one more step toward the beginning of direct
negotiations between the parties, which along can lead to such a
peace.
"The United States'
special commitment to Israel's security and well-being remains
unshakable. Indeed, a major reason for our entry into this dialogue is
to help Israel achieve the recognition and security is deserves."
The U.S.-Israel
Memorandum of agreement of September 1, 1975, signed by then
Foreign Minister Yigal Allon and
Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger gave Israel what it thought would be the power to veto
PLO participation in any international peace conference.
It says: "The U.S. will
not recognize nor negotiate" with the PLO as long as the PLO does
not recognize Israel's right to exist and Security Council resolutions
242 and 338.
The refusal to open a
dialogue with the PLO until it renounced terrorism was considered by
the State Department to be implicit in UN resolutions 242 and 338, but
was made explicit by act of Congress later. In the Anti-Terrorism Act
of December 22, 1987, passed by Congress after the Achille Lauro
hijacking, U.S. law stated that the PLO was responsible for "the
murders of dozens of Americans" and that Yasser
Arafat himself was "implicated in the murder of a U.S.
ambassador."
"Therefore the Congress
determines that the PLO and its affiliates are a terrorist
organization and a threat to the interests of the U.S., its allies and
international law and should not benefit from operating in the United
States." The law barred contact with the PLO except for the
purpose of receiving "informational material" and barred the
PLO from establishing an office in the U.S.
The termination clause of the
act states: "The provisions of this title shall cease to have
effect if the President certifies in writing to the President pro tem
of the Senate and the Speaker of the House that the Palestine
Liberation Organization, its agents, or constituent groups thereof no
longer practise or support terrorist actions anywhere in the
world."
Sources: Public Papers of the President |