U.S. Satisfied with Saudis’ Agreement on the Awacs

The Reagan Administration is “fully satisfied with the progress made” during Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia to “implement” conditions President Reagan promised Congress will be fulfilled before five AWACS reconnaissance planes would be turned over to the Saudis, it was announced by the State Department.

But Department spokesman Dean Fischer had “no comment” last Friday on whether the Saudis had signed an agreement to meet these conditions. According to press reports, Prince Sultan, the Saudi Defense Minister, had signed such an agreement during Weinberger’s visit, but it had not been announced publicly.

The conditions of the sale are contained in a letter Reagan sent to Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (R. Tenn.) on October 28, the day the $8.5 billion sale of AWACS and other arms to Saudi Arabia was being debated in the Senate.

These conditions included provisions for maintaining the security of the equipment being sold to the Saudis; agreement that the Saudis will share the intelligence information that is obtained through the AWACS with the U.S.; that no third party will be allowed access to the equipment or the information; and “that the Saudi AWACS will be operated solely within the boundaries of Saudi Arabia” except when the U.S. and the Saudis agree it is needed for defensive purposes “to maintain security and regional stability.”

Fischer, in a prepared statement, said Friday that Weinberger and the Saudi leadership had discussed “the full range of security issues of mutual interests to our two countries. Included were various follow up discussions concerning the details of a series of arrangements concerning the sale of AWACS, which we view as very much in the interest of both countries. The discussions of this subject as well as all other matters of common interest were conducted in a traditional spirit of friendship and respect for Saudi sovereignty which is fundamental to this relationship.”