U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, who arrived here Saturday at about the same time as a battery of American Patriot anti-missile missiles, has strenuously denied that the United States made any deals with Israel to keep it from retaliating against Iraqi missile attacks.
“There have been no deals struck,” Eagle-burger stated repeatedly at a news conference Monday. He also emphasized that every state has the sovereign right to defend itself.
Eagleburger denied local media reports that he and his aides were “on hand to see to it that in almost any circumstances there will be no Israeli reaction” which could disrupt the Arab component of the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq.
“The United States stands with Israel in defending against Iraqi aggression. The United States is, as it has been for many years, committed to the security of Israel,” Eagleburger said.
He acknowledged that it is up to Israel to decide if, how and when to react against the Iraqi missile attacks, which took place last Friday and Saturday, and for the Israeli government to say why it has not reacted so far.
Moreover, Eagleburger said, the United States “greatly admires” Israel’s exercise of restraint.
Reading from a prepared statement, Eagleburger noted that President Bush expressed the outrage of Americans and the leaders of all civilized nations at this “reckless act of terror and aggression,” a reference to the two SCUD missile attacks on Israel.
He said the president has taken a number of concrete steps to help Israel deal with the SCUD missile threat, including the “unprecedented action” of “immediately transferring to Israel Patriot anti-missile units with their U.S. crews and with PAC-11 missiles.”
‘ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO RESPOND’
Eagleburger spoke of the “continued devotion by the United States and its coalition partners of enormous and persistent military and intelligence assets” to the objective of destroying Iraqi SCUD missile launchers.
“This period has been marked by constant and intensive consultations between our two governments. President Bush and Prime Minister Shamir have talked with each other often and intimately during these critical days,” he said.
“We recognize and respect the right of every sovereign state to defend itself, and thus have never questioned Israel’s right to respond to attack,” Eagleburger asserted.
“We also recognize and respect Israel’s desire not to be drawn into this conflict, and greatly admire Israel’s restraint in the face of Iraq’s deliberate and murderous effort to widen the conflict caused by its aggression against Kuwait,” he said.
The deputy secretary, who is the second-ranking State Department official, did not say why he came to Israel at this time, his second visit in a month, nor how long he would stay.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
