King Hussein meets Arafat

King Hussein of Jordan today makes his first visit to the West Bank since it was conquered by Israel 29 years ago, to meet Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the PLO, in Jericho. The meeting will put extra pressure on Israel to withdraw from Hebron as agreed by the previous Israeli government.

The decision to meet in Jericho, an autonomous Palestinian enclave, came after King Hussein held talks with Mr Arafat in Amman. The Palestinian leader, brushing aside questions about a possible meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, said: "The most important thing is not the meeting...the most important thing is the implementation of what has been agreed."

Officials of the PLO said Mr Arafat had rejected a proposal by Mr Netanyahu that they could hold a summit if Mr Arafat agreed to alter agreement on Hebron. Patrick Cockburn