Defense Minister Ezer Weizman left for the United States today for a series of conferences with Pentagon and State Department officials over the nature and extent of American military aid – and financial assistance for military purposes – to Israel over the next 10 years.
Weizman will be joined in Washington later by Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan for diplomatic discussions with American and Egyptian officials over future multi-national peace-keeping forces in Sinai. Dayan himself left for West Germany today on a three-day visit that will include meetings with Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher.
Circles close to Weizman said the Defense Minister was aware that he will have to answer tough questions in Washington about Israel’s role and policies in south Lebanon and that the answers he provides will affect the American decision on whether to supply Israel with sophisticated modern weapons systems in the future. The U.S. has been sharply official of Israel’s use of American-supplied weapons in attacking Palestinian terrorist bases in Lebanon.
WILL STRESS GROWING THREAT
It is assumed that Weizman will stress the growing threat to Israel’s security from its eastern neighbors which are being supplied with arms by both the Soviet Union and West European countries. The Defense Minister is expected to seek American assistance that will enable Israel to establish a modern defense production infrastructure.
The objective is to give Israel a degree of independence coupled with maximum security while eliminating the potential need to use American weapons against American allies, specifically Lebanon. In that connection, Weizman will try to convince the Americans to grant Israel production rights on the next generation of fighter planes rather than simply supplying the U.S. made aircraft as has been the case up to now, circles here said. Israel would like to manufacture the warplanes under a licensing arrangement of an extended co-production deal.
It is presently considering two aircraft, one produced by McDonnell Douglas which is a carrierbased plane and the other, the land-based F-18 produced by the Northrop Co. The outcome of Weizman’s talks in Washington will have an important bearing on the future of Israel Aircraft Industries which must decide whether to proceed with its plans for the Aryeh, the next generation Israel-made interceptor, or participate in the production of the F-18.
Weizman will also want to determine to what extent the U.S. is prepared to help Israel develop its first generation interceptor, the locally manufactured Kfir, and agree to its sale to third parties. The U.S. has been able to block Kfir sales to certain countries because the aircaft contains American technology that by agreement with Israel is nontransferable. Another issue that Weizman will discuss in Washington concerns the Sinai airfields.
ISSUE OF SINAI PEACE-KEEPING FORCE
When Dayan arrives in Washington, he and Weizman will meet with Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Defense Secretary Harold Brown and an Egyptian party headed by Defense Minister Kamal Haasan Ali. Their talks are expected to decide whether to seek an intermediate solution of the Sinai peace-keeping problem or to retain the temporary arrangements pending the creation of a new multi-national force by the U.S.
The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was terminated by the Security Council in July. Israel has rejected the American proposal to replace it with an enlarged United Nations Truce Supervisory Organization (UNTSO) force.
Dayan, who departed for Bonn today accompanied by his wife, Rachel, and his advisor, Naftali Lavie, said he would seek greater support for the Camp David peace agreements and try to stem the movement among West European countries to enhance the importance of the PLO. He noted that West German newspapers have highlighted his recent meeting with pro-PLO Palestinian leaders on the West Bank and in Gaza. He insisted that it was important to have talks with those personalities in the administered territories who, according to Israeli law, are not considered members of the PLO.
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