Washington Report, May 28, 1984, Page 6

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

April 25:

The State Department called for a worldwide ban on the sale of nuclear supplies to Iran, because, it said in a statement, "previous actions of the government of Iran do not provide us with great assurance that "it will always abide by its international commitments" not to build a nuclear device. The statement—in which the Department disagreed with a published report that Iran is now building a bomb—said the U.S. "will not consent to the transfer of U.S.-origin nuclear equipment, material, or technology to Iran either directly or through third countries, where such consent is legally required. In addition, we have asked other nuclear suppliers not to engage in nuclear cooperation with Iran, especially while the Iran-Iraq war continues."

May 8:

An American Presbyterian minister, Rev. Benjamin Thomas Weir, was kidnapped in front of his home in West Beirut. He is the fourth American to be abducted in West Beirut since that half of the city was seized by Shiite and Druze militiamen last February. Of the three others, only one has so far been freed.

May 9:

During a televised speech on Central America, President Reagan charged that the PLO has worked side-by-side with Communist countries in giving assistance to the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, which the U.S. opposes. The President said: "The Sandinistas who rule Nicaragua are Communists whose relationship and ties to Fidel Castro of Cuba go back a quarter of a century. A number of the Sandinistas were trained in camps supported by Cuba, the Soviet bloc and the PLO. It is important to note that Cuba, the Sandinistas, the Salvadoran Communist guerrillas and the PLO have all worked together for many years. In 1978, the Sandinistas and elements of the PLO joined in a declaration of war against Israel."

May 9:

The House defeated by a vote of 379-40 an amendment to the foreign aid authorization bill which would have required countries receiving U.S. military aid to spend the money on U.S.-made weapons and technology only. Under a provision of the authorization bill, Israel will be allowed to spend $250 million of its U.S. aid on Israeli-made products, in order to develop its Lavi jet fighter. The amendment to block this provision, which Israel alone enjoys, was introduced by Nick J. Rahall (D-W.Va.).

May 10:

The House approved the FY 1985 foreign aid authorization bill, containing levels of both military and economic aid to countries worldwide. Under the bill—which must later be reconciled with a Senate version—Israel is slated to receive $2.5 billion in aid entirely as a grant, which amounts to 23 percent of $11 billion in total U.S. aid. Egypt, the second largest recipient, would receive $1.9 billion in grant aid, or 17 percent of the total. The bill also authorizes $95 million in military loans to Jordan. However, the bill stipulates that before selling advanced aircraft or weapons systems to Jordan the President must first certify to Congress "that Jordan is publicly committed to the recognition of Israel and to prompt entry into direct peace negotiations with Israel."

May 16:

The State Department said it "deplores" recent air strikes by Iran and Iraq against neutral ships both in and out of the war zone in the Gulf. John Hughes, the Department's spokesman, said the attacks "represent a dangerous escalation of the Iran-Iraq war and a growing threat to freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf." In the latest attack, conducted earlier in the day, Iranian warplanes set ablaze, but did not sink, a Saudi supertanker about 50 miles off the Saudi port of Jubail.

May 18:

Two Libyans attending graduate school pleaded "not guilty" to U.S. -government charges that they illegally purchased and transported three .45 calibre pistols equipped with silencers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Amon said in Federal Court that one of the students, Bashir All Baesho, had told an undercover FBI agent that "he was interested in eliminating defectors and asked (the FBI agent) if he could do a hit in Britain." Mr. Baesho, and his alleged accomplice Mathi Hitewesh, are also suspected by the U.S. of trying to obtain spare parts for Libya's C-130 military transport planes. The two men were arrested May 9 outside of Philadelphia and are both being held on $10 million bond.

May 18:

Donald H. Rumsfeld resigned as President Reagan's special envoy to the Middle East, a post he has held since November 3 of last year. Mr. Rumsfeld had been working only part time at the job in recent months as the Administration has scaled back its diplomatic involvement in the region. White House spokesman Larry Speakes said the Administration has no plans now to find a replacement for Mr. Rumsfeld.

May 22:

When President Reagan was asked if a letter of support he had sent to King Fahd of Saudi Arabia on May 21 contained a pledge of U.S. military assistance to protect Gulf shipping—if first requested by the Saudis—Mr. Reagan replied: "We haven't specified what we would do, but we have told them (the Saudis), because I made a statement earlier, that neither we nor the Western world as such would stand by and see the Strait (of Hormuz) or the Persian Gulf closed to international traffic."

May 23:

Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger told members of the American Jewish Press Association that the U.S. Navy has purchased pilotless reconnaissance aircraft from Israel. He did not say how many of the drones the U.S. bought.

May 23:

The State Department disclosed that a $220 million program to help Jordan equip a 8,000-man mobile strike force had been suspended. Department spokesman John Hughes said the Administration "has requested Congress to defer action" on the Joint Logistics Planning program after U.S. and Jordanian officials agreed that the program needed to be "reviewed."