Washington Report, March 18, 1985, Page 8

Facts For Your Files: A Chronology of U.S.-Middle East Relations

February 25:

The Reagan Administration welcomed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's call for a meeting between Israel and a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation as a first step toward settling the Palestinian problem. State Department spokesman Bernard Kalb said: "We would support direct talks between Israel and its Arab neighbors in any way that seems appropriate at that time." Mr. Mubarak put forth his proposal in an interview with The New York Times—which was published February 25.

February 27:

Twenty-four members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to Secretary of State George Shultz urging him to set a level of economic assistance to Israel for FY 1986, and a supplemental amount for FY 1985. The Administration left the economic slot blank when it submitted its 1986 foreign aid budget to Congress February 4. At the same time, the Administration is considering Israel's request for $800 million in additional funds for the current year. A similar letter was sent to Secretary Shultz by 16 members of the House Appropriations Committee. Israel has asked for a total of $4.05 billion in aid for FY 1986. The $800 million for FY 1985 would be on top of the $2.6 billion it already has received.

February 28:

Following Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's call for direct talks between Israel and a delegation of Jordanians and Palestinians, and the recent flurry of visits by Egyptian and Israeli diplomats between their two countries, State Department spokesman Edward Djerejian said: "The United States is prepared to re-engage in the peace process whenever the parties are ready and in whatever manner they deem appropriate."

February 28:

President Mubarak of Egypt refined his new proposal for direct Israeli and Jordanian-Palestinian talks by suggesting that before these meetings are held the U.S. should hold preliminary talks with the joint Arab delegation, which has yet to be formed. Israel would then be brought into the talks in a second stage, according to President Mubarak, and this would be followed in a third stage by the convening of an international conference to ratify the agreements reached. President Mubarak laid out this 3-stage plan in an interview with The Washington Post published February 28.

February 28:

The Reagan Administration rejected Egyptian President Mubarak's suggestion that the U.S. meet with a joint delegation of Palestinians and Jordanians prior to direct negotiations between the delegation and Israel. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy said "the name of the game" continues to be direct Arab-Israeli talks, adding that the U.S. is not interested in "pre-negotiating our position" with the Arab side.

March 1:

In a letter to Representative George Crockett (D-MI), Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs J. Edward Fox said that the PLO's Permanent Representative to the U.N., Zehdi Terzi, would not be given special permission to travel to Washington to meet with members of Congress, as had been requested by Representative Crockett. Mr. Fox said that Secretary of State Shultz had decided against the visit because current discussions between Jordan and the PLO are at a "delicate stage," and that allowing Mr. Terzi's trip "would be misconstrued by various parties to the ongoing discussions."

March 2:

Approximately 35 Americans working with the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) were removed from their jobs out of fear they would be attacked by Shiite Muslim guerrillas. Fears of an attack have heightened since February 28, when the U.S. indicated that it would veto a Lebanese-sponsored U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel for its new "iron-fist" policies in southern Lebanon.

March 5:

The Reagan Administration submitted to Congress an agreement with Israel which provides for the eventual elimination of all tariffs on trade between the two countries. Under the agreement, which Congress has to approve before it takes effect, some tariffs will be dropped immediately while those on import-sensitive products will be phased out over a 10-year period. It is the first free trade agreement that the U.S. has signed with any country.

March 6:

Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs W. Allen Wallis told a congressional panel that the Israeli government is "making progress" in trying to stabilize its economy, but that Israel has not yet done enough to justify $800 million in U.S. emergency aid for the current fiscal year: "If we give them $800 million of supplemental aid as the (Israeli economic recovery) plan now stands, we're convinced that it will disappear and their economy won't be any better off, and they'll face bigger problems later on. They'll be back for more money, with worse problems."

March 12:

The U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning "Israeli practices and measures against the civilian population in southern Lebanon ... which are in violation of the rules and principles of international law." U.S. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick said the resolution—which also called on Israel to halt its crackdown in southern Lebanon and to withdraw "unconditionally"—was "unbalanced" and that it "does not accord Israel fair treatment." Egypt, France, and 9 other nations voted for the resolution, while Australia, Britain and Denmark abstained.

March 13:

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak—who met with President Reagan March 12 and urged the U.S. to back his new three-Stage negotiating formula for bringing peace to the Middle East—expressed disappointment that the Reagan Administration was continuing to insist that unless the PLO explicitly recognized U.N. Resolution 242 the U.S. would not hold discussions with it, as called for in the first stage of the Egyptian formula. Speaking before the National Press Club, Mr. Mubarak said: "Some have suggested that the United States should wait and see how things develop. In effect, the proponents of this view advocate inaction as a line of policy. I beg to differ. This is almost a defeatist approach based on a series of wrong premises."