Morton Smith, deputy director of Voice of America Radio (VOA), assured Israelis Sunday that the giant relay transmitters to be built in the Negev will not interfere with local military or air traffic communications.
But the American official, who is here to finalize an agreement on the construction and operation of the VOA station in the Arava region north of Eilat, did not address two other concerns often expressed with respect to the location of VOA transmitters in Israel. One is ecological, the other political.
Many Israelis fear the relay of anti-Soviet broadcasts by the VOA, Radio Liberty and Voice of Free Europe, beamed to Eastern bloc countries, could have repercussions in Moscow at a time Israel is seeking a further easing of emigration restrictions on Soviet Jews and possibly direct flights to Israel for Jews leaving the USSR.
The other concern has to do with the biological navigating system of migrating birds which may be interfered with by powerful radio transmissions. Israel’s geographical position makes it a converging point for flocks migrating between Europe, Africa and Asia.
But Smith spoke only of electronic interference problems which he insisted were no cause for concern. However, he said the U.S. has conducted one study and will conduct another to make sure no problems exist. He said the VOA will invest $285 million in the Negev relay station, which will take five years to build.
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