The Middle East Situation

New signs of a cautious rapprochement between Israel and the Soviet Union have given fresh impetus to efforts to pave the way for an international conference on Middle East peace. US officials have said they favor the idea, as one way of repairing some of the damage done by the Iran arms scandal; Washington's attitude is being tested by a visit this week by two leading Jordanian officials. Libya meanwhile has suffered what is being widely seen as a major...