Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger indicated today that the U.S. has no intention of taking economic reprisals against the countries that voted in favor of the anti-Zionist resolution in the General Assembly Monday, despite statements by himself and President Ford deploring that resolution.
“We have made no final decision. We must keep the American reaction in some balance,” Kissinger said at a press conference this morning in Pittsburgh where he had addressed the Foreign Affairs Council last night. He termed the anti-Zionist resolution an “emotion of the day.”
Kissinger told the press conferences, “I believe it is important in the present world situation to keep an eye on fundamental issue that must be solved and those issues will not go away. One of these issues is the relationship between the developed and developing countries. We cannot have the world divided between those who have advanced industrial know-how and, those living on the edge of poverty.”
The Secretary warned that such a situation could lead to “chronic civil war” in 10-15 years and “therefore we have to conduct our foreign policy today, whatever the immediate irritations, in such a manner that the possibility of a cooperative world remains open.”
CONGRESS IN BITTER MOOD
Kissinger’s remarks seemed to raise the likelihood of a confrontation between the Administration and Congress where the mood is one of anger and bitterness over the General Assembly vote. Several key members of Congress, notably Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D. Wash.) have already proposed curtailing American aid to the African, Asian and Arab-bloc countries that supported the resolution equating Zionism with racism.
Rep. Philip Crane (R. III.) introduced a resolution in the House that would reduce U.S. funding of the United Nations from the present 25 percent of the world organization’s budget to 5 percent.
RAPS ANTI-ZIONIST MEASURE
Kissinger spoke out strongly against the anti-Zionist measure in the UN. He said it was really a form of moral condemnation of the State of Israel and not simply an abstract vote on Zionism,” and that “the linkage of Zionism and racism smacks of some practices that it would be better for mankind to forget.”
But while he asserted that “the UN vote has certainly added to the tensions, the rifts and the distrust” in the Middle East diplomatic situation and was “extremely unhelpful and highly irresponsible,” Kissinger said the U.S. will “have to decide on the votes on an individual basis before deciding what specific action we will take toward the various countries.”
AID CUT-OFF IS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE
Kissinger’s views were echoed by other Administration officials here who strongly defended the $4.7 billion military aid program and warned that it would be counter-productive if the U.S. were to cut off aid to countries that voted for the anti-Zionist resolution. Seventy percent of the Administration’s aid package is ear-marked for Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.
Administration spokesmen noted that military and military-related aid was aimed at protecting American interests, and one official was quoted as saying. “Our own interests are the ones we are concerned about.”
When Rep. Lee Hamilton (D. Ind.) suggested during hearings by the House International Relations Committee yesterday that it was “premature” for the Administration to offer an aid program to Syria which has not yet said that it would renew the presence of UN peace-keeping forces on the Golan Heights when their mandate expires at the end of this month, Assistant Secretary of State Alfred Atherton replied that holding back on aid would not affect Syria’s decision.
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