Washington Report, April 19, 1982, Page 6

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

March 24:

The U.S. delivered the first shipment of F-16 fighter-bombers to Egypt, which has purchased 40 in a drive to modernize its air force. The sale of an additional 40 F-16s, as well as 220 M60 tanks, was proposed to Congress by the Administration on March 23.

March 31:

President Reagan, in answer to a press conference question on the Palestine "autonomy talks," said: "I'm hopeful that we will see more progress on these talks after April 25, when the transfer of the Sinai comes."

March 31:

Nicholas Veliotes, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian Affairs, in testifying before the House Subcommittee on Foreign Operations on the subject of the Iraq-Iran war, said: "Consistent with our policy of neutrality towards this conflict, we have refused to sell or authorize the transfer of U.S. controlled defense articles and services to either Iran or Iraq. And we have urged that others avoid actions which will have the effect of prolonging or expanding the conflict."

March 31:

In Aden, South Yemen, a prosecutor alleged that 11 of 13 Yemenis now on trial for sabotage had been trained by "U.S. intelligence."

April 2:

The U.S. cast the lone negative vote on a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding that Israel reinstate three West Bank mayors who were removed from office in March on grounds they refused to cooperate with the Israeli civilian administration, and were partisans of the PLO. Thirteen nations voted in favor-China, France, Guyana, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Panama, Poland, Spain, Togo, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.S.R. Zaire abstained.

April 7:

Oman's de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs, Youssef Alawi, said in a published interview that there was "an understanding" between his country and the United States that the U.S. would defend Oman. He also said that in return for U.S, access to Oman air and naval facilities for the Rapid Deployment Force, Oman expects the U.S. to finance its purchase of $200-250 million worth of arms and to spend $1 billion on the upgrading of its military facilities.

April 8:

A conference of foreign ministers of the 70 "non-aligned" countries, meeting in Kuwait, made a plea to the U.S. for it to review its Middle East "policy and attitude in a positive and constructive way," The Ministers deplored what they termed Washington's hostile attitude towards the PLO, but held back from collectively condemning the Camp David accords and criticizing Cairo's peace treaty with Israel.

April 9:

A U.S. State Department spokesman, Alan Romberg, commenting on reports of Israeli troop movements in the Lebanon-Israel border area, said: "Once again we renew our appeal to all of those involved, or with influence on those involved, to show the utmost restraint."

April 10:

The U.S. and Soviet Ambassadors to Lebanon met separately with Lebanon's President Elias Sarkis, who asked both for help from their countries in staving off a feared Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon.

April 11:

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Samuel Lewis, after meeting with Prime Minister Begin in Jerusalem for three hours, said that Mr. Begin "assured me that the Israeli cabinet has taken no decision to go into Lebanon in any way, shape or form."

April 14:

Deputy Secretary of State Walter Stoessel arrived in the Middle East to try to iron out boundary and other problems between Egypt and Israel which threatened to delay Israel's scheduled withdrawal from the remainder of Sinai on April 25.