Counter revolution gains speed in Jordan

Workers Press no. 351, 13 January 1971 · scan page 1

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we thir Ramelson breaks his silence on Devey affair £1,250 January CLOUDS of smoke hung over Jordanian villages yesterday as the Royalist army continued its offensive against Palestinian guerrilla positions.

Observers on the Israeli side of the frontier report large-scale Jordanian troop movements and the setting-up of road blocks.

The Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Committee claims that Royalist attacks in the Nazal, Ashrafeya, Eltaj, Eljof and Elmasarwa areas resulted in the deaths of both civilians and Arab commandos.

PLO leader Yassir Arafat, after three months of collaboration with the Jordanian regime, yesterday turned another somersault when he appealed to President Boumedienne to prevent a repetition September's massacre.

MISSION

So far all Boumedienne has done is to send out a 'factfinding mission' headed by Cherif Belkacem of the Algerian Revolutionary Council.

Bahi Ladgham of the Arab committee, charged with reconciling the Royalists and the PLO, flew into London today, for talks with King Hussein, who has been in Britain since December 19 undergoing medical treatment.

The political background to the renewed fighting is, of course, the resumption of Israeli-Arab talks guided by UN Middle-East envoy Gunnar Jarring.

Hussein's collusion with the Zionist leaders is based on a shared fear of the Palestinian liberation movement, whose interests are to be sacrificed in the event of any deal between the Arab and Israeli governments.

Because of its total lack of firm revolutionary leadership, the Palestinian liberation movement and the whole Arab revolution are in great danger.

ULSTER Premier James Chichester-Clark decides tomorrow whether to continue the six-month ban on processions and parades after reporting to the Joint Security Committee on talks with Orange organizations. Last July's imposition of the ban was immediately followed by British Army 'Shoot-to-kill' warnings and intensified repression.