The Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed until tomorrow a vote to have been held today on the Administration’s controversial bill to sell a $350 million air defense system to Jordan. The measure has encountered serious opposition in Congress on grounds that it would tip the Middle East power balance against Israel. A Capitol Hill source said today that “The Administration is not going to compromise on the sale.” The State Department earlier this week proposed a reduction in the amount of “Hawk” anti-aircraft missile batteries from 14 to 6.
The Administration’s reversal today on the re-duction was believed to have been prompted by a strong warning yesterday from King Hussein of Jordan that any attempt to scale down the amount of weapons would compel Jordan “to seek the weapons we need from other sources,” The other sources were understood here to mean the Soviet Union. The arms deal, in addition to the “Hawks,” included rapid-fire “Vulcan” anti-aircraft missiles, “Redeye” shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, and 60 F-5 fighter planes. In order for the sale to go through both the Senate and House must vote for it. While the Senate will vote tomorrow, the House International Relations Committee was expected to vote late this afternoon.
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