The Senate, by a 97-1 vote today passed a resolution preventing President Reagan’s proposed $1.9 billion arms sale to Jordan from going through before March I unless direct negotiations between Israel and Jordan have begun.
Sen. Richard Lugar (R. Ind.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the resolution worked out yesterday with opponents and supporters of the sale will prevent an unfortunate adverse vote on the arms package while sending a “signal” designed to enhance the peace process. He said both President Reagan and Secretary of State George Shultz had approved the resolution and the President is expected to sign it when adopted by both houses.
However, in the House today a resolution was introduced by Majority Leader James Wright (D. Texas) and Reps. Dante Fascell (D. Fla.), William Broomfield (R. Mich.), and Lawrence Smith (D. Fla.) and signed by about 275 Congressmen to reject the sale. A spokesperson for Smith told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the House could now amend the resolution to include today’s Senate resolution, or adopt a separate resolution, as the Senate did.
The Senate resolution said that “prior to March 1, 1986, no letter of offer shall be valid with respect to any of the proposed sales to Jordan of advanced weapons systems, including advanced aircraft and advanced air defense systems, that are described in the notification … submitted to the Congress on October 21, 1985, unless direct and meaningful peace negotiations between Israel and Jordan are underway.”
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D. Mass.), who with Sen. John Heinz (R. Pa.) sponsored the Senate resolution signed by 74 Senators introduced this week opposing the sale to Jordan, said that today’s resolution, by “delaying — and denying — the sale for now, we offer a clear, continuing and appropriate incentive to Jordan to make peace with Israel. The last thing we need is to provide a disincentive to the peace process by giving the King an opportunity to take our weapons and run.” Kennedy stressed that if negotiations do not begin by March 1, “we stand ready in the Senate to renew our opposition to any policy and any sale that would escalate the arms race, not facilitate the peace process, in the Middle East.”
Both Lugar and Senate Majority leader Robert Dole (R. Kan.) stressed that anytime before March 1, if Senators saw a lack of progress in the peace process, they could reintroduce the resolution rejecting the sale. But Sen. Christopher Dodd (D. Conn.), the lone Senator to vote against the resolution, said that he wanted an additional paragraph that would “guarantee” the right of the Senate to reject the sale.
Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (R. Minn.) said the resolution enhanced the power of the Senate, since it increased the time for rejecting the sale from November 20 to March 1.
“This formulation has been carefully constructed to meet the needs of all parties in the debate over this issue,” Dole pointed out. He said the agreement on all sides was that the resolution would not be amended.
NOT A FORM OF BLACKMAIL
Dole said he regretted statements reportedly made by King Hussein that the resolution was a form of blackmail. “We are not trying to blackmail anyone,” he declared. “We are trying to take responsible actions to encourage negotiations for a true peace in the Middle East, which will be of more benefit to Jordan’s security than anything else we can do.”
Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D. Ohio), who was one of several opponents of the sale, who praised the resolution, warned that the Senate would not be satisfied with a meeting between Israel and Jordan that did not result in peace negotiations. “We don’t want a meeting just for the purpose of a meeting,” he said.
When Reagan officially notified Congress of the proposed sale Monday, he said it was “essential” for the peace process. There was an indication he was trying to keep a promise he made to Hussein when the King met with him in the White House last May.
The Senate Republican leadership had sought unsuccessfully to convince Reagan to delay notification at least until January 1. Dole noted Monday that the time was not ripe now, especially since the vote could come when the President was meeting Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
