Officials of Voice of America Radio will come to Israel at the end of this month to begin discussions with Israeli officials on the technical aspects of a powerful transmitter the U.S. wants to erect in Israel to boost its broadcasts to the Soviet Union.
Maariv reported today that the American technicians had hoped to come here this week but were asked by the Israelis to postpone their visit. The paper said Israeli officials stressed that the delay was not due to any desire to postpone the negotiations for political reasons but simply to allow more time for internal discussions of the project.
According to Maariv, the transmitters will be used to relay VOA broadcasts to the Soviet Asiatic republics whose proximity to Israel relative to their distance from Western Europe would help overcome Soviet jamming.
The Israelis were under considerable pressure from the Reagan Administration to allow a VOA transmitter on their soil. Some officials here expressed concern that Israel could become embroiled in the superpower conflict. They were assured that no VOA programs would be prepared in Israel.
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