Israeli Defense Minister Shimon Peres explored political and military matters of the highest import to his country with three principals of the U.S. foreign affairs establishment after concluding a speech-making tour of the United States.
Shortly before returning to Tel Aviv from New York last night, Peres held an hour-long discussion in a private home in New York with Secretary of State-designate Cyrus R. Vance. They have known each other since 1965 when both were defense undersecretaries or the equivalent in their respective countries, the Israeli-Embassy said.
“It was a very good talk,” Embassy press counsellor Avi Pazner told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today. No details were available but Pazner indicated that Vance said he was planning to study the Middle East situation in detail within a few days.
In Washington earlier, Peres met with Defense Secretary Donald R. Rumsfeld in a two hour Pentagon luncheon and late in the afternoon he conferred at the state Department with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger for about 70 minutes. Asked later by a reporter why he had meetings with officials of a lame-duck Administration, Peres replied that he did not see it that way. The Ford Administration, he said, is the U.S. government and will be until Jan. 20. After that, Israel will be in communication with the Carter Administration.
CUTBACKS TO ISRAEL DENIED
Peres acknowledged that Israel is seeking $2.3 billion in U.S. aid in fiscal year 1977 that begins next Oct. 1. The Ford Administration is preparing the budget for submission to the new Congress before it retires. Reports that the State Department had reduced the Israeli figure to $1.8 billion and that the White House had cut it to $1.5 billion were denied by a reliable source here. The source pointed out that the Administration has not yet decided on the amount it is to budget.
Peres pointed out to the JTA that inflation has boosted the cost of supplies for Israel and there fore Israel must ask for the figure of $1.5 billion in military assistance for the coming year and about $800 million in economic security assistance. In the current and last fiscal year Israel was allocated $1 billion in military aid plus $275 million for the transitional quarter between the two fiscal years.
LUKEWARM ABOUT GENEVA
Speaking to reporters after he had met with Kissinger and in a special meeting with editors of the Washington Post who he met yesterday, Peres indicated his lukewarm feelings towards early resumption of the Geneva conference to discuss a Middle East settlement.
After seeing Kissinger he said he preferred “quiet diplomacy.” According to an account of his meeting with the Washington Post editors, he told them there is “no chance” of an early return to Geneva. Israel will attend it, he said, “because there is a tendency to prefer image-making over policy-making,” but, he also was reported as saying by the Washington Post that he does not expect real progress at Geneva.
Regarding the sale of the F-16 warplanes, Peres was said to have indicated Israel would receive some 250 of the aircraft in the 1980s. Their cost was reported to run about $3 billion.
On his meeting with Kissinger, Peres indicated to reporters that Lebanon was the major subject. He described Lebanon as a peaceful nation and southern Lebanon as being “an independent piece of land.” He also said Syria had no plans for Lebanon’s future and the problem was now to make Lebanon again an independent country.
Peres said that “by and large we see eye-to-eye” on the dynamics facing Israel in the near future. He said Israel would like an overall agreement immediately but in view of the pragmatic circumstances he saw danger in raising expectations at this time.
CONFIDENT CARTER WILL CONTINUE AID
(Returning to Tel Aviv today, Peres told reporters he was convinced that the Carter Administration would continue U.S. military and economic aid to Israel. Replying to questions about the F-16 fighter, he said there was a decision in principle that the U.S. would supply these sophisticated aircraft to Israel. The question of price and whether Israel would be permitted to manufacture F-16 spare parts are still under discussion, he said.)
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