On 20 September the cabinet approved the policy of not linking the proposed strategic cooperation agreement with the U.S. to acquiescing with the American arms sales. to, Saudi Arabia. Following the reading of the cabinet communique by Mr. Begin, he answered questions on this issue. Text:
Cabinet Communique
At the weekly Cabinet meeting:
The Government noted the report of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of the Interior (the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who participated in the delegation to the United States, is at present in New York for the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly) on the activities of the Israeli delegation concerning an agreement in principle for the setting up of a strategic security partnership between the United States and the State of Israel, in voicing unreserved opposition to the sale of sophisticated weapons to Saudi Arabia including offensive equipment for F-15 planes and the most sophisticated intelligence planes - "AWACS" for representing the position of Israel as to the new autonomy negotiations, the situation in Lebanon and other matters.
Press Conference
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, what is your opinion about the statement attributed to the American Deputy Secretary of State concerning the connection between strategic cooperation between Israel and the United States and the possibility of the "AWACS" deal will not be approved in Congress?
A: Actually, I cannot answer the Deputy Secretary of State, in fact the Deputy Secretary of Defense. In all the deliberations with the President and his advisers, I did not hear even one hint (what I say applies to my colleagues as well) as to any connection whatsoever between the two matters. I will say this again. In all the deliberations, I did not hear even the slightest hint on the connection between the two matters...
Q: In all the news appearing today in the U.S., the claim is that the Senate must choose between Begin and Reagan. These are the words that are now reaching us from the United States concerning the debate on the "AWACS" issue.
A: Reports arrive ... headlines are provided for reports. This has no foundation at all. What choice between the President of the U.S. and myself?. We came, we presented our opposition on the matter of the dangers to Israel's security inherent in this double deal with Saudi Arabia, i.e., supplying Saudi Arabia with offensive equipment for the F-15 and selling "AWACS", to the President ' and the two congressional committees - at their invitation. We said this in public, I told the President that we would display the same maps, and explain the same facts to the committees as well.
This we did. I think this is just a headline and it has no basis whatsoever.... Perhaps you will remember your report on Kol Israel to the effect that I called on the Jews to abandon altogether all opposition to this double sale. Here the opposition relies constantly on your report ... My spokesman told you that I called on the Jews at the Presidents' Conference not to act against the "AWACS" deal? (Reporter answers, "Not in those words.') Not in those words - in other words, he didn't say that ... Indeed you corrected your report, but there are those in the opposition who are a bit deaf, so they didn't want to hear - and no one is so deaf as he who does not want to listen ... I'm sorry that this happened ... this was a very serious mishap.
Q: When you returned from the United States, you said that for the moment you would not reveal the subject of the conversation between yourself and the American Secretary of State, Alexander Haig. Has that moment passed?
A: Not yet. All in all, three days have passed. I said, for the moment, we agreed that we would not reveal the details. Three days are still "as of now". I will have to decide when "as of now" is over.
Q: . Can you confirm or deny that the conversation also concerned the matter of your criticism on the "AWACS" issue?
A: I cannot add to what I have already said.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, in your talks with the President of the United States, and administration figures, could they have understood that you would in any way moderate your public opposition to the "AWACS" deal? Perhaps this is the root of the misunderstanding?
A: How is it possible to understand, when 1, together with my colleagues, presented before the President, for an hour and a half, our opposition to this double deal. And afterwards, I explicitly told the President with these maps -we brought along maps and we proved how the "AWACS" will see and photograph almost all of Israel, and five of the seven airfields, and the like, we showed all this to the two Foreign Affairs Committees as well, of the Senate and of the House of Representatives. What could be understood? I have constantly maintained that in a debate between the two branches of the government, the Executive and the Legislative, we do not intervene, as citizens of Israel. But as people who bear responsibility for Israel's security, we say that this is our right and our obligation, that this deal represents a danger for Israel's security and we will not surrender our right to state this opinion and our position. I said this publicly in all the talks, in all the meetings, these two parts together...
Q: Concerning Senator Tower's remarks about interference in the Congress, what is your reaction to that?
A: ... It doesn't have any foundation, but I do not want to go into any discussion or argument with a Senator of the United States.
Q: What about the Habib mission, sir?
A: It depends on the President of the United States. He is an emissary of the President. If he will decide to send Habib again to the region, Philip Habib, our dear friend, we shall receive him with warmth and hospitality.
Q: Has the Israeli Embassy in Washington been instructed to take a lower profile in campaigning or lobbying with Congress, or the media in Washington, with regard to the "AWACS".
A: I don't know what is a high profile, what is a low profile. We did our duty, we stated our attitude, I repeated in the communique of the Government, this is the situation. On the 20th of October, there will be a vote taken on this issue in both houses of Congress, and we shall see the results.