Premier Yitzhak Shamir declined to comment Monday on reports that Israel sold arms to Iran. At the same time, he told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that the matter of former nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu’s disappearance from London October 1 has been cleared up with Britain and the misunderstanding has been laid to rest. His statement was substantiated by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
Shamir told the committee it was the government’s prerogative to be silent on the alleged Iranian arms shipments which was not an issue for public debate.
President Reagan acknowledged last week that the U.S. had sent very small quantities of arms to Iran in an effort to improve relations with that country. Reagan made no reference to shipments of arms from Israel which, according to media reports, were undertaken at U.S. request and replenished by the U.S.
With respect to Vanunu, who is being held in custody in Israel for giving a British newspaper information about Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons capabilities, Shamir said it was clear he wasn’t kidnapped from London.
Peres said in media interviews Monday that the misunderstanding with Britain over Vanunu was cleared up following a telephone conversation he had with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was visiting Reagan at Camp David over the weekend.
Peres also dismissed Sunday’s speech by Syrian President Hafez Assad threatening Israel and the U.S. The threats reflect his weakness, Peres said. “Syria is a terrorist state. She will be recognized as such and she will pay the price.”
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.
