White House Press Secretary Ron Nessen said today that President Ford will request a “very substantial” assistance program for Israel in fiscal 1977 which the President believes “is fully adequate for Israel and meets its future security requirements.” He said that “Israel has been told what the program requests will be–told in fact before the meetings” between Ford and Premier Yitzhak Rabin.
Nessen made his reference to the aid program in a briefing for reporters following the third and final meeting at the White House between President Ford and the Israeli Premier. Their session this morning lasted 30 minutes. They met for 80 minutes on Tuesday and for 55 minutes yesterday. Nessen said no joint communique would be issued by the two leaders because “it was Just decided not to have one.”
He described the Ford-Rabin talks as “part of the explorations we are making with all the parties at this stage,” and added, “I am Just going to let quiet diplomacy go forward and not to talk too much about the conclusions.”
ISRAEL’S SECURITY, U.S. ECONOMY CONSIDERED
Nessen said the total figures on assistance for Israel in the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 will be made known when the President submits the entire foreign aid program for all countries to Congress in mid-February. With respect to the aid package for Israel, he said the considerations were “first of all, Israel’s security and economic needs and secondly. America’s own economic situation and America’s own interests.”
On the aid question, Nessen continued, “The budget shows a billion dollars which is a part and not a total assistance for fiscal year 1977.” The sum of $1 billion for military assistance next year represents a half-billion dollar cut from the military assistance recommendations for the current fiscal year which has been extended to Oct. 1.
Israel is believed to have felt that it requires at least $1.5 billion to meet its defense needs in light of the arms flowing into the Arab states which threaten to alter the Mideast power balance. Israel has also requested about $800 million in economic support assistance. The Administration has not revealed what amount it will ask for in this category.
However, the impression appeared to be after the Ford-Rabin discussions that the military aid figure will not be altered but the economic support assistance would approach Israel’s request, bringing the total aid package to about $1.8 billion. Nessen said the U.S. did not contemplate that the elevation of assistance to Israel should be continued on the same level as in the years following the 1973 war.
U.S. NOT OFFERING OWN PLAN
Nessen said, in reply to questions, that the U.S. is determined not to have the peace process in the Middle East fall into stagnation. He said he did not want to leave the impression that there is a new initiative in the area. He noted that the Ford-Rabin talks concerned, among other things, what steps may be taken next and asserted that it was up to the parties in the area to decide the next steps. The U.S. “at this point has not offered a plan of its own” on the diplomatic process in the Middle East, Nessen said.
He said that “quiet diplomacy is better than public discussion” and that it was “my understanding” that the U.S. could not put forward a new initiative. Asked about reconvening the Geneva conference, Nessen noted that Israel is on record in favor of it. He said the U.S. favored a preliminary conference, but would not elaborate.
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