Peres Completes Arms Talks in Washington; Kissinger Says Arms Flow to Israel Has Resumed

Israeli Defense Minister Shimon Peres completed his mission to Washington with assurances that Israel will receive the weapons that the United States has held up delivering since the Ford Administration began its reassessment of its Middle East policy last March. “Items held up during the reassessment have been released.” Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger told reporters following a two-hour breakfast meeting with Peres yesterday. Although Kissinger did not mention what these weapons are they are believed to be F-15 fighters, “Lance” missiles and laser-guided bombs.

Peres, who met with Kissinger last Wednesday for 90 minutes and with Defense Secretary James Schlesinger for three hours Thursday, delayed his departure yesterday and returned to Washington from New York, to discuss Israeli purchases of military equipment including the long-range “Pershing” missiles which has become a major controversy in the United States.

‘PERSHING’ MISSILES UNDER REVIEW

Kissinger told newsmen that the “Pershings,” which can carry a nuclear warhead in the American arsenal, is “not a new item that has been submitted to us during the negotiations and its discussion should not be considered a payment for the negotiations.” He said the requirements for Israel, which include the “Pershing,” are now under review, Peres had said earlier that Israel would guarantee that it would not use nuclear war heads on the “Pershings,” Apparently responding to Pentagon reports Friday that the American military had not been aware that the “Pershing” was an Israeli requirement, Kissinger said that the Israeli list of arms had been “reviewed, prior to the reassessment, by all the agencies in Washington and is continuing to be reviewed by a National Security Council group now.”

Kissinger also said that the “Pershing” item “should be seen in the long-term context and not geared to specific events.” Regarding the F-16 fighter plane which Israel also has requested. Kissinger pointed out that they will not be available before 1979 or 1980 “by which time the F-4 (Phantoms) will be 20 years old and is a normal replacement of existing inventories and is being discussed in that context.” Schlesinger had indicated Friday that he would not approve transfer of weapons now in the hands of U.S. forces, but that Israel would have to wait for new production before it could acquire the sophisticated arms it seeks. It was understood that the Defense Secretary conveyed these views to Peres Thursday.

Joseph A. Laitin, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, told newsmen Friday that Schlesinger had not been told in advance that Israel would be offered the “Pershing” missiles. Laitin said that, “as far as I know,” the State Department did not consult with Schlesinger or other civilian or military Pentagon officials before making the “Pershing” offer, Laitin also said that Schlesinger “feels very strongly about supplying most foreign needs, needs of our allies, from production lines and not drawing down from inventories,” indicating that if the U.S. did agree to supply “Pershing” missiles to Israel, the missiles might not be delivered for several years.

‘HAWKS’ SALE TO JORDAN, ON AGAIN

Meanwhile, a 24-hour flap between Jordan and the United States over conditions of a sale of 14 batteries of “Hawk” anti-aircraft missiles appeared to have ended Friday with the announcement by the State Department that a “misunderstanding” had been “cleared up.” A spokesman said “we are going ahead” with the sale on the basis of President Ford’s letter to both Houses of Congress which provided assurances that the missiles will be stationary and used only for defense purposes. The spokesman said that there was no intention to change the conditions in the President’s letter. Earlier, in Amman, the Jordanian Prime Minister, Zayid el Rifai, said the conditions were an affront to Jordan’s “national dignity.”

In another development, Kissinger discussed the Middle East with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko Friday night. Gromyko met with Ford and Kissinger Thursday at the White House but at that time the Mideast situation was reportedly subordinated to discussions on furthering the superpowers’ agreements on the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty (SALT), Kissinger has indicated he could mollify Soviet feelings against the Israeli-Egyptian agreement and the presence of American technicians as monitors in the Sinai. But after Friday’s meeting Gromyko told newsmen that his government wanted “real progress” not “visual progress” in the Sinai. He repeated Soviet support for Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories, guarantees for all states, including Israel, and a return to the Geneva conference.