Washington Report, April 5, 1982, Page 6

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

March 3:

The Administration relaxed restrictions on trade with Syria and the People's Republic of South Yemen, by allowing them to buy civilian aircraft on condition that they not use them for military purposes.

March 3:

The U.S. Administration agreed to sell Saudi Arabia 15 Northrop Corp. F5 jet aircraft to supplement its existing fleet of fighters. The proposed sale is for $350 million.

March 8:

The Pentagon announced its intention to sell Israel 200 improved Hawk mobile antiaircraft missiles.

March 10:

The Administration banned imports of oil from Libya, which at the time of the ban had declined to 120,000 barrels per day two percent of U.S. oil imports and 25 percent of Libya's oil exports.

It also introduced a licensing requirement for all exports to Libya except food, medicine and medical supplies, and indicated that licenses would generally be banned for high technology items that are not available from other sources. Last year, the U.S. exported $578 million of products to Libya-70 percent of which would have required licenses under the new policy.

March 14:

Defense Minister Ariel Sharon told a cabinet session that U.S. special envoy Philip C. Habib was tying Israel's hands and preventing it from defending its citizens, according to Israeli radio.

March 14:

Special U.S. envoy Philip Habib returned to the U.S. after a 17-day visit to the Middle East aimed at finding ways to ease current tensions there, particularly fears of an Israeli attack on southern Lebanon. He made trips to Beirut, Jerusalem, Damascus, Amman, and Riyadh, visiting some of them several times. The situation, he said, was still "fragile."

March 17:

The first contingent of U.S. troops assigned to the Sinai Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) arrived on the Sinai peninsula. It consisted of 670 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division. Eventually, 1,100 U.S. troops are expected to police the area.

March I8:

A State Department spokesman confirmed to the Senate that the U.S. planned to sell $10 million of trucks and civil aircraft to Iraq, now that it was no longer on the Department's list of countries supporting international terrorism. Iraq was removed from the list on February 26.

March I8:

A U.S. State Department spokesman, commenting on the southern Lebanon cease-fire in effect since July 24, noted for the first time that "any hostile action originating from Lebanon but going through Syria and Jordan into Israel would be a violation of the cease-fire. The same would apply to an Israeli action from Israel into Lebanon transiting international waters for foreign territories."

March 19:

The U.S. interpretation of the July 24 Lebanon-Israel ceasefire was disputed by the PLO's top military commander, Khalil Wazir, who said: "We (the PLO) have announced before that the cease-fire is only for operations from Lebanese territory. We have not committed ourselves to a cease-fire through any other borders."

March 23:

The Pentagon proposed to sell Egypt 40 F-16 planes and 220 M60A3 tanks and related equipment at a total cost of $1.8 billion. These are in addition to the 40 F-16's and 439 M60 tanks previously purchased by Egypt. Congress has thirty days to veto the planned sale.

March 23:

State Department spokesman Dean Fischer announced an American proposal that Egypt and Israel hold their next meeting on "Palestinian autonomy" in Washington. The offer was made to break the current impasse, since Prime Minister Begin wants the talks to be held in Jerusalem and President Mubarak refuses.