The Palestine Chronology

After meeting in Cairo with Pres. Mubarak, Sec. Baker arrives in Jerusalem and meets with F.M. Levy, Baker says he is pleased with initial Israeli responses to Pres. Bush's peace initiative; announces plans to meet with Palestinian leaders from o.t., but will ignore their insistence that they speak for the PLO [NYT, LAT, WP, WT 3/12; MENA 3/11 in FBIS 3/11; MENA, JDS 3/11, IDF 3/12 in FBIS 3/12; CSM 3/13; JPI 3/23].

Israeli troops shoot dead 6 heavily armed Arabs who had crossed border from Jordan; 3 Israeli soldiers are slightly wounded in the 2-hour gun battle [NYT 3/12; JDS 3/11 in FBIS 3/11; JPI 3/23].

U.S. military officials say Iraq will turn over the bodies of 14 allied soldiers killed in Gulf war; 24 U.S. soldiers remain missing in action [LAT, WP 3/12].

23 Iraqi opposition groups begin 3-day conference in Beirut to solidify their stand and offer alternative to Saddam Hussein's regime [LAT, CSM 3/12; BDS 3/11 in FBIS 3/12].

Allied air strikes have left Iraq's oil production capacity reduced by two-thirds, according to oil industry experts [LAT 3/12].

U.S. Commerce Dep't. makes public list of $500 million in advanced American goods, including lasers and computers, that were sold to Iraq with Washington's approval between 1985 and August 1990 [NYT 3/12].

Palestinian journalist Taher Shriteh, released from Israeli prison on 3/8, is indicted on charges of aiding an illegal Arab group by giving them the publicly listed telephone number of Reuters in Jerusalem [NYT 3/17].

Gulf Crisis Financial Coordination Group, 27 wealthy countries, meet in Luxembourg, pledge $834 million in new aid to nations hardest hit by Gulf war [WT 3/12].

Public opinion survey published in Israeli newspaper Yedi'ot Ahronot shows 49% of respondents find "territories for peace" principle acceptable; 49% say it is unacceptable [YA 3/11 in FBIS 3/19].

3-day "Popular Kuwaiti Congress" grouping 1,200 Kuwaiti exiles opens in Jeddah with Crown Prince suggesting the country's defunct parliament would be revived and free elections held once Kuwait is liberated from Iraq (cf. 10/15) [NYT, WP 10/14].

Responding to UN Sec. Council vote calling for UN investigation into Haram al-Sharif shootings, Israeli cabinet sec. says: "We will not cooperate with them. We don't need to give any reports, remarks, or excuses to this delegation." P.M.'s office says delegation will be admitted to Israel, but will not be helped by anyone in the gov't (cf. 10/14) [NYT, WP 10/14]; Sec. Baker sends letter to F.M. Levy making clear that admin.'s "sense of concern over Israel's handling of the situation [on 10/8] would have led us [U.S.] to support UN Sec. Council action regardless of the situation in the Gulf" [NYT 10/16].

British For. Sec. Douglas Hurd meets in Cairo with Pres. Mubarak to discuss Gulf crisis [MENA 10/13 in FBIS 10/15; NYT 10/14].

King Hussein meets in Amman with Iraqi F.M. Aziz about the continuing diplomatic ef- fort to persuade Iraq to leave Kuwait [NYT 10/14].

Gen. Michel Aoun, leader of Christian militia that opposed Syrian-backed Lebanese gov't for 11 months, surrenders after Syrian air and ground attacks in E. Beirut; seeks refuge in French embassy [BVL 10/13 in FBIS 10/15; NYT, WP 10/14].