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October 09, 1981 - Image 3

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1981-10-09

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, October 9, 1981 5

Status Quo for AWACS Deliberations in Congress

AWACS sold to Saudi
Arabia because Israel en-
gages in "reckless missions"
such as its raid on Iraq's
nuclear reactor last June.
Harold Saunders, Assis-
tant Secretary of State for
Near East and South Asian
Affairs in the Carter Ad-
ministration, testifed before
the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee on Mon-
day.
Saunders stressed that
the "U.S. must develop
the best possible rela-
tionship" with all states
in the area. He said the
United States has to be an
arms supplier to the
countries of the region in
order to have a voice in
bringing about arms con-
trol in the area.
He said that by not selling
the AWACS to the Saudis it
would confirm the view of
Arabs that the United
States only considers the in-
terests of Israel and the Un-
ited States therefore would
not be regarded in the Arab
world as a "guarantor" of a
Middle East peace,

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Former Undersecretary
of State George Ball has
characterized the con-
troversy over the AWACS
as "a test of strength bet-
ween the President and
Former Officials
pro-Israeli factions" and
-Joining Reagan
warned that its defeat "will
Reagan on Monday mean the end of an effective
lunched with a dozen former United States policy toward
officials of past administra- the Middle East."
Ball, who served in the
WHY RUN AROUND TOWN?
tions, including defense sec-
SAVE TIME 8 MONEY: SEE 1500
retaries, national security Kennedy and Johnson
assistants and chairmen of Adminsitrations, made
Wedding-Bar Iftra-Diaisg-Party
the. Joint Chiefs of Staff, that assessment in a
SHORT
SHORT
who, according to the White three-page letter addres-
House, expressed strong sed individually to Se-
support for the AWACS nate opponents of the
TO
LOOK YOUR MST — srns 4 70 44
$8.5 billion AWACS
sale.
• TODAY Thru SAT. — 10 AAA To 3:30 •
A statement issued on weapons sales package.
JEWISH
154 SOUTH
Ball listed a moing the
behalf of the group warned
0005 A RD
NATIONAL FUND
that Congressional rejec- consequences of Congres-
- MI 2-4150 • BIRMINGHAM
27308 SOUTHFIELD
tion of the arms package sional rejection of the
SFLD. MI. 48076
"would damage the ability AWACS sale "humiliating
557-6644
ty—thapital
of the United States to con- the President," hobbling his
Sympathy
Monday thru Thursday.
duct a credible and effective diplomacy and engendering
9
AM
to 5 PM
mistrust
of
his
commit-
foreign policy, not only in
FRUIT
Friday 9 AM to 4 PM
the Gulf region but across a ments on the part of the
BASKETS
Arab states. He predicted
broad range of issues."
3 Times Daily
The White House said increased "subsidy de-
Nation-Wide 7,
that former President mands" from Israel after
Delivery
Jimmy Carter, who Reagan having "proved its clout
:41
$ 17"
contacted by telephone, with Congress."
He also suggested that
backed the sale. White
RODNICK-
House press secretary Larry advanced American milit-
MeINERNEY'S
Speakes said the luncheon ary equipment provided to
772-4350
session would "demonstrate Israel was more likely to fall
to doubters that there is into Soviet hands than
strong support, going back
eaPPeopie • GREAT R DETROIT OLDS DEALERS `Pie- Real People
over six Administrations."
Henry Kissinger, who
was Secretary of State
under Nixon and Ford;
attended, but not Car-
ter's Secretary of State,
Cyrus Vance, an outspo-
Plus Tax
ken opponent of the
And Plates
AWACS deal.
Ar i l Pr I W I\
The Israeli Cabinet de-

Begin Assures Agunda Faction
on Implementation of Agreement

JERUSALEM (JTA) =— transferring
promised
Premier Menahem Begin
funds to the Aguda's Torah
assured Agndat Yisrael on
institutions. But Aguda cir-
Monday that his govern- cles insisted that the council
ment would honor all the
had not dealt with money,
promises he made to the especially during the 10
ultra-Orthodox party as a
days of penitence preceding
condition for its support of Yom Kippur wheu such
his coalition.
mundane matters are con-
Begin met with the par-
sidered inappropriate for
ty's four-man Knesset fac-
the pious.
tion after the Aguda's rul-
Instead, the sages re-
ing council of Sages dis- - portedly concentrated on
played impatience over the
the controversial ar-
government's alleged de-
cheological dig at the
lays in implementing their
City of David in
demands.
Jerusalem. They are de-
manding that the gov-
The council was convened
Sunday by its chairman, the
ernment invoke Article
Rebbe of Gur, following
45 of its coalition agree-
complaints that the gov-
ment which would give
ernment was too slow in -the Chief- -Rabbinate

dared Sunday that Saudi
Arabia's unequivocal re-
fusal to agree to joint opera-
tion with the U.S. of five
AWACS reconnaissance
aircraft was further proof of
Israel's long-standing con-
tention that the_ AWACS
and other advanced
weaponry the U.S. proposes
to sell to the Saudis would
constitute a serious danger
to its security.
Meanwhile, former Is-
raeli Chief of Staff Gen.
(ret.) Mordechai Gur, now a
leading Labor Party
spokesman in the Knesset,
warned that if the AWACS
deal goes through, Israel
would have to regard Saudi
Arabia as a "confrontation
state."

Council sole legal author-
ity to determine whether
the excavations involve
the desecration of an an-
cient Jewish cemetery, as
the Orthodox establish-
ment contends.
If the government acts ac-
cording .to the Aguda's de-
mands it would be in direct
conflict with a Supreme
Court decision last month
that the Chief Rabbinate
has no authority whatever
to interfere in matters sub-
ject to state law.

The license expires at the
end of this year and the
Chief Rabbinate, backed by
the religious parties, insists
that it must nut be renewed.

.19

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11 8

SHANDELS

Haien sal. Jib . i a •

Hyman Bookbinder, the
Washington representative
of the American Jewish
Committee, sent a letter the
day after the news confer-
ence to Jacob Stein, the
White House liaison with
Jewish groups. It said:
"Believe me, Jack, I hate
to say the following, but my
heart and my mind force me
to do so. Once again, I fear,
Jews (and Israel) are being
prepared for our centuries-
old curse, being scapegoated
for problems not of our do-
ing."
Bookbinder asserted that
the AWACS issue "is not
only or even primarily an
Israel or a Jewish issue in
the minds of many, many

could be worked out in the
sale of AWACS reconnais-
sance aircraft to the Saudis.
He added that negotia-
tions over the $8.5 billion
arms package have been
completed with the Saudis
and that he would not go
back for further negotia-
tions because he regarded
that as "counter-
productive" and "impru-
dent."
Haig said that the type
of joint command prop-
osed by Sen. Glenn "is
simply not possible now.
Therefore, there is abso-
lutely no point what-
soever in comparing the
present proposal with
some imaginary, even
highly desirable, joint
command arrange-
ments."
Haig claimed that Israel
now has the ability to jam
the sophisticated radar used
on the AWACS planes.

OFFICIAL

alin Sal .U0G13 0

Reagan Charged
With Scapegoating

inembers of the Senate and
the House.
Many opponents of the
AWACS sale have ex-
pressed fears that the
military secrets encom-
passed in the AWACS
and Sidewinder air-to-air
missiles included in- the
sale could easily be com-
promised in Saudi
Arabia.
A State Department
spokesman denied that
President Reagan's state-
ment was criticizing Israel's
right to publicly oppose the
sale. _ - -
Department deputy
spokesman Alan Romberg
said what the President was
saying was that only the
United States government -
has the right to make deci-
sionson its own foreign pol-
icy.
He noted that Secretary
of State' lexander Haig has
said on many occasions that
Israel and other countries
have the right and even the
"obligation" to "express the
view on issues that affect
them."
Members of the Senate
Foreign Relations Commit-
tee indicated their con-
tinued opposition to the sale
despite the assurances
given to them by Secretary
of State Alexander Haig in
both private and public tes-
timony last week.
Sen. John Glenn, (D-
Ohio), whose demand for
joint control of the five
AWACS had set off the
flurry of new negotia-
tions between the
Reagan Administration
and Saudi Arabia, said
although he was "hope-
ful" that an agreement
could be reached before
the 30-day period the Se-
nate has to vote on the
proposal expires, he
found nothing new in the
new arrangements.
Haig admitted to Glenn
that the assurances given to
the United Sates by the
Saudis were "fundamental
understandingsThnd not in
writing as Glenn and other
Senators had demanded.
On Monday Haig warned
members of the committee
that they are suffering an
"illusion" if they believe
that a U.S.-Saudi Arabian
joint command arrangment

, c4R ea • .ple GR EATE R DETROIT 0 DS DEALERS 9); ■ a Peopi.

(Continued from Page 1)
decisions and reiterated his
continued support of the
proposed sale of AWACS.
In an opening statement
read to reporters at his first
press conference in three
months, Reagan indirectly,
referred to Israel's vehe-
ment and outspoken opposi-
tion to the proposed arms
package. "It is not the busi-
ness of other nations to
make American foreign pol-
icy decisions," the President,
said.
Reagan said the prop-
osed sale, which faces
stiff opposition from both
Houses of Congress, will
!'significantly enhance
Our national interests in
the Middle East." He
noted that the sale will
improve U.S.-Saudi abil-
ity to defend-the oil fields
"on which our security
depends ..."
The President said that
both a secure Israel and a
Stable Middle East are in
our national interests. "The
sale poses no threat to Is-
rael, now or in the future,"
he declared.
Asked about his opening
statement and whether Is-
rael should keep its hands
off national security in-
terests, the President re-
sponded, "I don't mean that
in any deprecating way." It
is important that other
countries do not get the im-
pression "that we are being
unduly influenced" by other
powers, Reagan said.

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