The Reagan Administration is expected to decide this week on two issues affecting Israel’s security–delivery of F-16 jet fighters to Israel and notification to Congress of its proposed sale of AWACS reconnaissance planes and other equipment to Saudi Arabia.
The Administration has promised a decision by Friday on whether to lift the suspension on delivery of four F-16s to Israel, ordered last month after Israel’s June 7 attack on Iraq’s nuclear reactor. Next Friday is the day six more F-16s, not affected by the ban, are scheduled to go to Israel.
The Administration is also expected to give its unofficial notice to Congress this week, of a decision to sell Saudi Arabia five AWACS and enhancement equipment for 62 F-15s previously purchased by the Saudis. Some observers expect this to happen as early as tomorrow although as late as last Friday the Administration was still stressing that the “timetable” was being worked out with Congressional leaders.
The decision on the F-16s delivery is publicly linked to the Administration’s completion of its review of whether Israel violated its arms purchase agreement with the U.S. by using American-made equipment to bomb Iraq’s nuclear plant. Robert McFarlane, Counsellor to the State Department, is due in Israel today, apparently for discussions of requirements on the future use of American-made weapons.
McFarlane used the harshest language against Israel of any State Department official in testifying about the Iraqi raid before Congressional committees. He told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month that Israel had “shattered trust and confidence” because it failed to consult with the U.S. about the use of American-made weapons in the attack.
EXPECT DELIVERY OF F-16S TO CONTINUE
However, most observers expect neither the Administration nor Congress, which is conducting its own review, to call for any arms cut-off to Israel. Instead, they expect the delivery of F-16s to continue.
This attitude was expressed today by Sen. Gary Hart (D. Colo.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Appearing on the NBC-TV “Meet the Press” program, Hart said that neither Congressmen who supported the Israeli raid or were critical of it believe they “can turn their backs on Israel.”
He said the Israeli raid was a “sympton of the disease” and not the disease itself which, according to Hart, is the spread of nuclear weapons. He said he would introduce legislation to ban the export of material that might be used for nuclear weapons. Hart also said he would continue to oppose the sale of AWACS to Saudi Arabia even if the Administration takes steps to provide assurances that they would not endanger Israel. He said the Administration must seek peace in the Middle East and end its policy of trying to arm all sides.
Meanwhile, observers feel there is a link in the expected timing of the announcements of the resumption of F-16 deliveries and the AWACS proposal in order to tone down criticism by supporters of Israel to the Saudi deal and offset reactions from the Arab states to the resumption of aircraft deliveries to Israel. The existence of such a link had been strongly denied Friday by the State Department’s deputy spokesman, Alan Romburg.
“There is absolutely no linkage between F-16s deliveries to Israel and the sale of military equipment to Saudi Arabia,” Romburg said. He asserted that Secretary of State Alexander Haig “is strongly opposed to any notion of such a linkage and has never drawn such a relationship explicitly or by indication, nor has anyone else in position of authority in the (Reagan) Administration.”
DENIES HAIG LETTER TO BEGIN
Romburg was replying to questions about newspaper reports that Haig had sent a letter to Israeli Premier Menachem Begin last month implying that Israel drop its strong opposition to the AWACS sale if it wanted to get the four F-16s.
There has been “no letter or other form of message from the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister of Israel on the matter of the suspended aircraft delivery,” Romburg maintained. He said that there have been “diplomatic exchanges” between the U.S. and Israel since the Administration began its review of whether Israel violated its arms agreement with the U.S. in using American made equipment in the Iraqi raid. But he said he could not divulge what was said in these exchanges except to deny that any linkage was made between the AWACS and F-16s.
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