Washington Report, May 3, 1982, Page 6

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

April 15:

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian Affairs, Nicholas Veliotes, said at a subcommittee hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that "we believe that the ceasefire agreement Ambassador Habib worked out last July (for South Lebanon) can and will continue to hold."

April 19:

The Pentagon notified Congress of its plans to sell Bahrain its first jet fighter planes, including six F5's and 60 air-to-air missiles at a cost of $114 million, as well as its planned sale to Saudi Arabia of 2,000 improved TOW antitank missiles costing approximately $22 million.

April 20:

The United States cast the only negative vote on a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the Easter Sunday killings by an Israeli soldier in the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem. U.S. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick explained the U.S. veto-the third this year in support of Israel-by saying that the resolution implied that the Israeli government was responsible for the two deaths.

April 20:

At Prime Minister Begin's request, President Reagan and President Mubarak of Egypt both sent him letters reiterating their countries' commitment to the Camp David agreements.

April 21:

The Reagan Administration urged the Palestinian Liberation Organization, through Saudi Arabia and other Arab states as intermediaries, not to retaliate against Israel for its bombing raids into Lebanon earlier in the day. The State Department, meanwhile, issued a cautious statement, "deploring" recent actions "which have threatened or violated the ceasefire, including violence against Israelis and the air strikes into Lebanon."

April 22:

The U.S. government purchased 1.8 million barrels of Iranian light crude oil at a cost of $52 million, signaling an end to the U.S. boycott of Iran that went into effect in November, 1979 when Iranians seized 52 American hostages.

April 22:

A spokesman for the Reagan Administration asked Congress for large military aid increases in fiscal 1983 for Morocco and Tunisia, which he described as "strategically located countries." The Administration is asking $100 million for Morocco and $140 million for Tunisia. The U.S. is providing $30 million to Morocco and $85 million to Tunisia for this fiscal year.

April 25:

Israel withdrew its last troops from the Sinai Peninsula, in conformity with the Camp David peace treaty signed by Israel, Egypt and the U.S. in March, 1979. President Reagan telephoned Prime Minister Begin and President Mubarak to congratulate them for fulfilling the requirements of the treaty between their two countries, while in a statement he called the withdrawal "the beginning of a new era in the peaceful relations between Israel and Egypt."

April 26:

A Pentagon spokesman informed Congress that it plans to sell Israel 11 F-15 jet fighters costing $510 million and 300 AIM9L air-to-air missiles to Egypt at a cost of $34 million.