Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon emerged from nearly four hours of talks with Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger at the Pentagon today and said he had emphasized what he considered to be the threats to peace in the Middle East.
These threats, as outlined by Sharon, are Arab terrorism, the supply of modern weapons to Arab countries, especially Jordan and what he called a “new coalition” being formed around Iraq, with Jordan and Saudi Arabia and with the “support” of Egypt and possible backing by the U.S. He denied that he was charging that Egypt is a threat to peace.
Sharon, who stressed that he was invited to the Pentagon by Weinberger during his current private visit to the U.S. said there had been no discussion of the memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation between the U.S. and Israel which Sharon and Weinberger signed last December. However, a Pentagon spokesman, Benjamin Welles, said earlier today that the talks were the opening round in discussions of the memorandum of understanding.
It is believed here that the memorandum, which was suspended by the U.S. in reaction to Israel’s extension of civil law to the Golan Heights last December, may be resurrected when Premier Menachem Begin meets President Reagan at the White House on June 21. Welles also said today that Reagan wants to help Israel’s economy, especially its defense industry.
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