Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger said here that it is in the United States strategic interest to sell sophisticated air defense weapons to Jordan. Speaking last Friday at a luncheon given by the Foreign Policy Association, Weinberger said that Jordan is worried that it will be “squeezed” between hostile Syria and Iranian forces which, he said presently have the upper hand in the war with Iraq.
Weinberger said that one of the purposes of United States policy is to build a network “of alliances and friendships” and this could be done in the Middle East when the United States has more than one friend in the area. He asserted that Jordan has been a long-time friend of the United States.
The Defense Secretary declared, however, that any U.S. Middle East policy starts out with “our commitment to Israel and maintaining its qualitative edge.” He said that the U.S. commitment to Israel is “unswerving and unchallenged.”
Weinberger said that Jordan has not yet requested mobile air missiles or any other sophisticated weapons from the United States but he said that the issue was discussed between the two countries. He said also that the sale of advanced U.S. weapons to Jordan will benefit the U.S. and will serve peace in the Middle East. Weinberger made his comments about arms and Israel in response to a question. It was not part of his formal address.
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