NEWS
Supervised Apartment Living
for the Elderly
Loan Guarantee By U.S.
Now Valid, Says Moda'i
DAVID FRIEDMAN
Special to The Jewish News
T
he Bush administra-
tion has agreed to
issue guarantees for
$400 million in loans for
Israel, so that it can provide
housing for Soviet Jewish
immigrants, Israeli Finance
Minister Yitzhak Moda'i
said Sept. 25.
"The guarantee of $400
million is now valid," Mr.
Moda'i told the Jewish Tele-
graphic Agency after
meetings with Deputy Sec-
retary of State Lawrence
Eagleburger and Treasury
Secretary Nicholas Brady.
An Israeli Embassy official
said the final details were to
be worked out during
meetings in New York this
week between Secretary of
State James Baker and
Israeli Foreign Minister
David Levy.
Although Congress ap-
proved the loan guarantees
last spring, the administra-
tion has held up final ap-
proval until it receives
assurances that the money
will not be used to help
Soviet Jews settle in the
West Bank or the Gaza
Strip.
Mr. Eagleburger assured
Mr. Moda'i that the United
States would do its best to
help Israel overcome its
economic difficulties. "We
are aware of Israel's needs
and hope to find a way" of
meeting them, he was
quoted by the embassy offi-
cial as saying.
Mr. Moda'i said he
discussed with administra-
tion officials both Israel's
new economic plan and the
economic problems currently
facing the United States.
"We did not go into
specifics," he said. "We
discussed the overall situa-
tion."
Mr. Moda'i denied making
any specific requests for U.S.
assistance. "I didn't come
this time to ask for
anything, just to clarify posi-
tions," he said.
"You don't come off a visit
and take all the goodies and
come back home," Mr.
Moda'i said. "We would
rather have it on a con-
tinuous basis than a one-
time deal."
The finance minister ap-
parently was referring to his
proposal that the United
States cancel Israel's $3.7
billion military debt.
He voiced the idea in Israel
after President Bush asked
.
Congress to forgive Egypt's
$7.1 military debt because of
Cairo's leadership in
mustering Arab opposition
to Iraq in the Persian Gulf
crisis.
Israel's total debt to the
United States is $4.5 billion,
but this includes economic
aid as well as military assis-
tance. Forgiveness would
mean an annual savings of
$400 million a year for Israel
in interest and principle
payments.
But Mr. Moda'i did not br-
ing up this request in his
meetings with the ad-
ministration officials. He re-
portedly had been warned by
lawmakers and Jewish
leaders that Congress would
be unlikely to approve
cancellation of the Israeli
debt and that it might turn
down forgiveness of the
Egyptian debt, as well, be-
cause of budgetary con-
straints.
But Mr. Moda'i told JTA
last week that he still be-
lieves any forgiveness of the
Egyptian debt has to be
coupled with a similar move
for Israel because aid for
Egypt has been linked to as-
sistance provided to Israel
since the 1978 Camp David
Accords.
"Whoever has to make the
decision will maintain the
balance which was introduc-
ed after Camp David," he
said. "Whatever is done with
the Egyptian loan will be
done with the Israeli."
Mr. Eagleburger also
assured Mr. Moda'i that the
United States and Israel
"stand together" against the
threat posed by Iraq, the
embassy official said.
Mr. Moda'i reported that
the United States will con-
tinue to preposition military
supplies in Israel, which to-
taled $100 million during
the current fiscal year.
Shevardnadze
Warns Of War
United Nations (JTA) —
Soviet Foreign Minister
Eduard Shevardnadze
warned last week of an out-
break of war in the Middle
East at "any moment."
In an address to the U.N.
General Assembly, Mr.
Shevardnadze continued to
advocate a diplomatic solu-
tion to the Persian Gulf
crisis. But he appeared to
indicate that if diplomatic
negotiations failed, force
would be justified.
The group apartments are for people who need more sup-
portive care and can live comfortably sharing an apartment
with two other individuals, each person having a separate
bedroom.
If you or someone you know desires a family-like, non-
institutional setting, please call Zena Baum or Jan Bayer
AT 559-1500.
Limited space is currently available.
Group Apartments for the Elderly
A Jewish Family Service Program
Babies
Don't Thrive
in
Smoke-filled
Wombs
THREE WAYS TO
BUY A CAR
AL HARRIS
When You're
Pregnant,
Don't Smoke!
ARNIE WEISS MIKE GERMANSKY
TAMAROFF
BUICK • HONDA • NISSAN • IZUZU • YUGO
New • Used or Leasing
Open Tues., Wed., Fri. Til 6
Open Mon. & Thurs. Til 9
THIS SPACE CONTRIBUTED BY THE PUBLISHER
•
M TER
4(40- INC.
Crosswinds Mall
28585 TELEGRAPH ROAD
ACROSS FROM TEL-12
Southfield
353.1300
TOO MANY PEOPLE
ARE DINING OUT
IN OAKLP,pID COUNTY
4301 Orchard Lake Road
at Lone Pine, Suite 419
West Bloomfield, MI 48033
Phone (313) 626.0811
COATS
UNLIMITED
Sterling Heights
Sterling Place
37680 Van Dyke at 16 1/2 Mile
939-0700
Oak Park
Lincoln Center, Greenfield at 10 1 /2 Mile
968-2060
West Bloomfield
Orchard Mall, Orchard Lake
at Maple (15 Mile) • 855-9955
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO FEED OUR HUNGRY
Food Bank of Oakland Count)
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
105