Inside Report (3)

The PLO apparently doesn't want anybody else dictating who it may be friendly with. Despite pressure from Syria to break ties with Jordan -- with which Syria is feuding -- a Western source confirms: "Al Fatah [the PLO guerrilla army] is still talking to Jordan. It is in Fatah's interest as well as Jordan's."

A joint PLO-Jordanian coordinating committee for the occupied West Bank distributes $70 million a year, allocated by Arab governments, to Palestinians in occupied territories. Jordan is the only country that is able to channel money to residents because of its peaceful border with Israel.

Both Jordan and West Bank residents recognize the PLO as the proper representative of the Palestinian cause. m