Haig: Reagan Has Not Yet Decided Whether to Resume Delivery of F-16 Fighter Planes to Israel

Secretary of State Alexander Haig maintained today that President Reagan has not yet decided whether to resume delivery of F-16 fighter planes to Israel. The President would make his decision after meeting with State Department Counsellor Robert McFarlane who is returning from Israel tonight, Haig said in an interview on the NBC-TV “Today” program. (See Related Haig Story P.3).

It was announced in Jerusalem last night that McFarlane’s visit ended the “misunderstanding” between Israel and the U.S. over Israel’s June 7 air attack on Iraq’s nuclear reactor after being “clarified to the satisfaction of both parties.”

But Haig denied today that this meant a lifting of the suspension of delivery of the four F-16s, imposed on June 10 after the Israeli raid, as well as a go-ahead for delivery of six more F-16s scheduled to be shipped to Israel this Friday.

CAUTIONS AGAINST SPECULATION

“In fairness to the President who has to make this decision, I think it would be premature to speculate,” Haig said. “I’ve noted there has been quite a bit,” he added in apparent reference to press speculation that the McFarlane trip was designed to pave the way for resumption of the F-16 deliveries.

Haig, who will meet with McFarlane tonight, said that once the President makes a decision, the Administration will have to consult with Congress. McFarlane is scheduled to meet with the President and members of Congress this week. Both the Administration and Congressional committees have been conducting separate reviews to determine whether Israel violated its arms agreement with the U.S. by using American-made aircraft in the Iraqi raid.

COMPLETION OF REVIEW DUE BY FRIDAY

State Department deputy spokesman Alan Romburg said today that the Administration still plans to complete its review by Friday when the six F-16s are scheduled to be shipped. Romburg, however, refused to divulge any details of the understanding worked out between Israel and the U.S. during McFarlane’s visit. Romburg also reiterated that there is “no connection between the decision” on the F-16s and the Administration’s proposal to sell AWACS reconnaissance aircraft and other weapons to Saudi Arabia.

He was replying to press reports from the Middle East that McFarlane had shown Israel the terms under which the AWACS would be sold to the Saudis. McFarlane reportedly tried to lessen Israeli opposition to the AWACS sale in return for resumption of the F-16 deliveries. There has also been much speculation that the Administration would officially notify Congress of

its proposed AWACS sale at the same time that it announced resumption of the F-16 deliveries in order to neutralize opposition from both Israel and the Arab countries.

But a Capitol Hill source told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that in order to prevent the accusation of linkage, the Administration is now not expected to send the AWACS package to Congress for another week to ten days.

OPTIMISTIC ABOUT MIDEAST PEACE

Meanwhile, Haig said on the TV interview that he was “optimistic” about chances for “progress in the near future” toward a Middle East peace settlement. “We are now on the verge of initialing the Sinai agreement which will permit the return of the Sinai to Egypt,” he said. He added, “There have been expressions already from the Israeli government — that government being formed — suggesting that they must get on with the autonomy talks.”

Haig said these were the two remaining aspects of the Camp David accords and that while the longer term aspects of peace are “very, very difficult,” he was “optimistic that with good will on both sides and a sense of urgency which must be forthcoming, that there will be progress in the near future.”