Defense Minister Shimon Peres left for Washington today to negotiate new arms purchases after assuring the nation that “Israel gave no promise and made no undertaking to negotiate with Syria for a disengagement agreement or an Israeli withdrawal.” He made that statement at Ben Gurion Airport in response to reports attributed to a senior Israeli personality that Israel had promised Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger that it would begin disengagement negotiations with Syria in June.
“To the best of my knowledge no such undertaking was made by Israel–and that’s what counts,” Peres declared. (The Defense Minister is scheduled to hold a press conference in New York on his arrival there late this afternoon before going to Washington.) Peres disclosed that prior to his departure he met with Premier Yitzhak Rabin and Finance Minister Yehoshua Rabinowitz, who returned from a mission to Washington on Yom Kippur eve, to discuss Israel’s new defense line in Sinai and efforts to complete it within the timetable set by the interim agreement.
The Defense Minister said his talks in Washington will deal with Israeli military requirements and supplies. He said the Americans have unfrozen the supply of F-15 fighter-bombers, “Lance” missiles and laser-guided bombs for which negotiations were suspended last March when the Ford Administration began its “reassessment” of Middle East policy. There are no more political obstacles to the supply of these military items to Israel, Peres said, referring to last month’s Sinai accord.
(President Ford, in an impromptu press conference today in Washington, said his Administration will supply Israel with “various substantial amounts of military hardware.” See separate story Page 3.)
The Israeli delegation accompanying Peres to Washington consists of Air Force Commander Gen. Benjamin Peled and Intelligence Chief Shlomo Gazit. Israeli Ambassador Simcha Dinitz, Military Attache Avraham Adan, and the Defense Ministry’s Chief of Mission, Joseph Tzechanover, will also participate in the arms purchase discussions.
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