— The Reagan Administration maintained today that it does not believe its multi-billion arms package sale to Saudi Arabia will threaten Israel’s security. “We don’t believe it imposes a security risk to Israel,” State Department spokesman Dean Fischer said. “We remain committed to maintaining Israel’s military strength.” (See related story P. 3.)
Fischer stressed that a “strong Israel serves our broadest strategic needs and interests, including countering Soviet threats in the region.”
The Administration announced yesterday that it plans to sell the Saudis five AWACS(Airborne Warning and Control Systems) that can track 400 planes simultaneously and equiped with radar systems with a range of 350 miles at high altitude and 250 miles at low altitude; AIM-9L air-to-air missiles, an advanced version of the Sidewinder missiles; fuel tanks for the 62 F-15s the Saudis will start receiving from the United States next year, and seven KC-135 refueling planes to serve both the AWACS and the F-15s. But the Administration did not announce when it will formally notify Congress of the sale.
Strong opposition in Congress, especially to the AWACS, has led to the belief that the Administration will delay official notification until after the June 30 Israeli elections and perhaps even longer. The sale goes through automatically unless it is rejected by a vote in both the House and Senate within 50 days of notification.
Fischer, however, maintained today that no decision has been made to delay or not to delay notification until the summer. But, he stressed, the Administration will submit the proposal and intends to “fight for it” as a package.
Administration sources said today that the announcement was made yesterday to clear up press speculation over the weekend on whether the Administration planned to go ahead with the sale. The sources denied the announcement was made under Saudi pressure or had anything to do with the visit to Washington of Shekih Ahmed Yamani, the Saudi oil minister.
Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (R. Tenn.) was scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Alexander Haig this afternoon. Baker has just returned from a trip to the Middle East and his opinion is believed to be crucial on the timing for submitting the proposed sale to Congress.
Fischer said that, as of this afternoon, there was no formal protests from Israel. He said Premier Menachem Begin met with U.S. Ambassador Samuel Lewis today at Lewis’ request to discuss the situation in Lebanon and the AWACS sale came up. But Fischer said there was no formal protest from Begin during the meeting. However, Fischer noted that Begin is on record as being opposed to the sale of the AWACS to Saudi Arabia.
Fischer also acknowledged that the U.S. is considering a request from Egypt for an early warning system, possibly the EC-2 Hawkeye, a less advanced system than the AWACS. Israel has four Hawkeyes.
Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abou Gazala, who is in the United States on a private visit, is due to call on Haig tomorrow.
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.
