President Ford said today that he would seek removal of “restrictive” measures in the new trade law and the Export import bank’s lending powers in discussing the Soviet government’s cancellation of its 1972 trade agreement with the United States, He did not specify, at his news conference, the measures he was planning nor the reasons for the Soviet rejection of the agreement.
The President also said that the United States feels that the danger of war in the Middle East is “very serious” and that to avoid war the United States was “Maximizing” its diplomatic efforts with Israel and the various Arab states, Ford also said, with regard to the Middle East, that the U.S. is supplying arms to various Mideast states for their internal security as well as to maintain an “equilibrium” in the area.
The issues raised by Secretary of State Henry A, Kissinger’s comment, in a recent magazine inter view, that the United States did not rule out use of force in the Middle East if it was threatened by strangulation by Arab oil policies, came up-at the news conference.
DEFENDS KISSINGER’S VIEW ON FORCE
Ford said “we will go to Congress” before any measure of commitment of military force was made in the Middle East, when he was asked whether he or
“It a country is being strangled, “the President said, “that country has the right to protect itself against death.” When he was asked whether another Arab oil embargo would be “strangulation,” the President said “not of the kind in 1973”.
OPTIMISTIC ABOUT DETENTE
Discussing Soviet-U.S. detente, Ford said that “in my judgment detente will be continued broadened and expanded” because it is in the interest of the Soviet Union and the United States.” The President said he was “disappointed” by the Soviet cancellation of the trade agreement. he said he hoped to work with the Congress to eliminate the problems in the trade law which “may have precipitated the Soviet Union action.”
When he was asked whether his comment on restrictions referred to Sen, Henry M. Jackson’s amendment regarding the emigration of Soviet Jews, ford said he did not want to get into a dispute with members of Congress but that the restrictive measures in the trade law and on the Export-Import bank, and the limitation of aid to Turkey by the Congress had been “harmful” to him in the execution of foreign policy.
ADVICE SOUGHT ON TRADE
In a related development, Kissinger appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today for three hours to discuss how to build a trade relationship with the Soviet Union. The Secretary had said last week, after the USSR repudiated the 1972 trade agreement with the U.S., that he would seek the advice of the Committee and felt “Certain the Congress will deal with us in a conciliatory and constructive manner.”
After meeting with the Senate Committee, both Kissinger and Senators on the Committee said no effort was yet being made to submit new legislation that would allow the Soviet Union to receive most-favored-nation tariff status, Sen, Jacob K, Javits (R.NY) told reporters that Congress would insist on linking human rights in side the USSR to any new attempt to reduce tariffs. The Soviets repudiated the trade pact because of what they considered discriminatory restrictions on trade by Congress and unwarranted interference in the USSR’s domestic affairs.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
