CHANUKAH GIFT IDEAS CAPITOL REPORT AMERICA'S STAMP STOP AND E & E • • • • • • • • SILVER AMERICAN EAGLE PROOF SETS BIRTH YEAR SETS COIN SUPPLIES WOLF BLITZF.R STAMP STARTER KITS COIN STARTER KITS STAMP YEAR SETS STAMP SUPPLIES Iran Arms Continued from Page 28 INVESTMENT & RETIREMENT PROGRAMS COLLECTIONS APPRAISED , I•••el MIDDLEBELT AT 11 MILE/GREAT SCOTT PLAZA • TUES.-FRI. 11-6, SAT. 11-5 • 474-4460 Murrey ProfessionalPool Tables AS SEEN IN THE COLOR OF MONEY m01.12153f, ANTIQUE STYLE SOLID WOOD 30% OFF • LEATHER POCKETS • Many Styles • No Vinyl or Particle Board • Priced from $995 to $2995 PROFESSIONAL QUALITY SLATE POOL TABLES o Sca go From FREE $100.00 ACCESSORY KIT ..011# Bar Size •SOLID ITALIAN SLATE •DISASSEMBLES TO FIT ANY HOME •ALL FORMICA CABINET •6', T, 8' AVAILABLE MOVING & SERVICE ALL MAKES - LaBARON'S SPORTS 34711 DEQUINDRE • TROY • SOUTH OF 15 MILE 585-3535 BE A WINNER, PLAY Mon., Thurs.. Fri. 10-8 Wed. & Sat. 10-6 Sunday 11-4 CLOSED TUESDAY 11IE CLASSIFIEDS Cali The Jewish News Today 354-6060 Q-A-Giftfor eternity Eternity Bracelet Eternity Necklace Diamond Studs A gift she will treasure for- ever and ever ...A gift for Eternity The Finest Expressions of Love comes from mar, GEM/DIAMOND SPECIALIST Established 1919 MAIM COTIRCATE BY CIA NI UMW s RAIN* 3NN TIMM N., Imo, INK SIR 134 ■ 30 Friday, December 5, 1986 \nap-tiete HOLIDAY HOURS: Daily 10:00-8:30 Sat. 10:00-5:00 Sun. 12:00-5:00 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FINE JEWELERS Arabia — in the person of Saudi billionaire Adnan Khashoggi. It seems that the Saudis, in their own inimical style, have decided to hedge all of their bets in the region. Like Israel, the Saudis have wanted to establish links with potentially more moderate elements in Iran. These Ira- nians might play a role in a postKhomeini power strug- gle. Saudi Arabia has several reasons for pursuing such overtures with Iran. First, Iran may well win its war against Iraq. Why not be on the winning side? Second, the Saudis have always been prepared to pay "protection money" so that the Iranians do not bomb Saudi oil ships in the Persian Gulf or infiltrate Moslem ter- rorists on the pilgramage to Mecca. Third, the Saudis do not want Iran to stir up other Shi'ites in the Persian Gulf states. Yes, the Saudis were also financing the Iraqis in the war. But it was not the first time that Saudi Arabia was playing off both sides in a conflict. "Such behavior is in keeping with traditional Saudi foreign policy, which is always to cover all options," Thomas Friedman, Jeru- salem correspondent of The New York Times, wrote. "In addition to currying favor with Teheran, the Saudis may also have been trying to pro- long the war by seeing that Iran was well stocked. The Saudis no more care to see a powerful Iraq again asserting itself in the Gulf than a vic- torious Iran." Khashoggi, who has made a fortune in selling weapons, has long had a personal and professional relationship with Ya'acov Nimrodi, an Israeli arms dealer in London. Nimrodi, who has made a considerable but much smaller fortune, served for 10 years as the Israeli Em- bassy's Air Force Attache in rIbheran. He speaks Persian. He is personally close to Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Commerce and Trade Minister Ariel Sharon, having set up meetings for both of them with Khashoggi in recent years. According to informed sources in Washington, Khashoggi introduced Nim- rodi to Manucher Ghor- banifar, an Iranian arms dealer in London who is plugged into the top Iranian leadership, especially to Prime Minister Musavi and Parliament Speaker Rafsan- jani. Ghorbanifar was anx- ious to obtain more U.S. weapons and critically-needed spare parts. Not long after this Saudi- Israeli-Iranian back channel was opened, senior U.S. of- ficials entered the picture, also agreeing to cooperate in the new strategy toward Iran. In late spring 1985, then- National Security Adviser McFarlane and then-Finance Ministry Director-General David Kimche met in Wash- ington and agreed on a general approach, which quickly won the blessing of President Reagan. Besides a joint appreciation of Iran's strategic important, critical to both the U.S. and Israel was that Saudi Arabia was also seen as being on board. Khashoggi does not do anything without first clear- ing it with King Fand and others in the Royal Family. As further evidence that the Saudis were warming up to the Iranians, U.S. and other diplomatic sources in Wash- ington cite King Fand's deci- sion to remove Oil Minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani from his post earlier in November. Khashoggi was reported to have been instrumental in setting up this ouster as a means of appeasing Iran. Yamani's policy of lowering international oil prices has greatly angered the Iranians, who are dependent on oil ex- ports for much of the funding of their military machine. Thus, Khashoggi was clear- ly willing to cooperate with Israel in the effort to open up links to Iran. Curiously, therefore, former Secretary of State Alexander Haig's sup- posedly silly concept of forg- ing a "strategic consensus" among America's friends in the Middle East — including both Israel and Saudi Arabia — appeared to be actually falling into place. Many tradi- tional Middle East specialists in Washington had ridiculed Haig's highly-publicized no- tion, arguing that the Saudis and other more moderate Arabs — except Egypt and maybe Jordan-- would never join forces in any common strategy with Israel. But Haig really did know what he was talking about. Khashoggi had the go- ahead to establish ties with Israel — and he did. Since the early 1980s, for example, he has worked closely with Nimrodi. The Saudi billion- aire, who truly sees himself as a bridge between Arab and Jew in the search for peace in the Middle East, also met with other Israelis, including Peres and Sharon. He met with Peres at the Regency Hotel in New York during Peres' first visit to the U.S. as Prime Minister in 1984. He earlier had met with Sharon in Africa. Nimrodi was in- strumental in setting up both of those meetings. According to the Cairo- Continued on. Page 32