Defense Minister Moshe Arens, who returned from Washington today, said that Israel and the U.S. would seek strategic coordination as a result of the talks he and Premier Yitzhak Shamir had with President Reagan and top Administration officials this week. Shamir is due back tomorrow.
Arens denied that expanded coordination with the U.S. would limit Israel’s freedom of action. The Defense Minister firmly denied reports that Shamir and he submitted a blueprint for Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon or that they had supported the concept of “cantonization” for Lebanon. “Such notions did not come up at all,” Arens said.
The Defense Minister stressed the warm welcome accorded Shamir and himself in Washington. He said their talks could lead to a turning point in relations with the U.S.
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