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

Washington Report, September 9, 1985, Page 9

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

August 1:

Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Customs Service foiled an alleged nationwide plot to sell sophisticated U.S. and French missiles valued at over $140 million to Iran. The FBI reported it had arrested 6 men—including Lt. Col. Wayne G. Gillespie, attached to the Army's materiel command at the Pentagon implicated in the plot, the first known attempt by agents working on behalf of Iran to buy entire weapons systems from the U.S. since arm sales to that country were banned during the hostage crisis of 1979.

August 3:

Nabih Berri, leader of the Shiite Amal militia, after meeting with graduates of the American University of Beirut, told reporters he hoped "to gain the release of some [abducted] AUB employees, such as the Dean of Agriculture."

August 5:

The Reagan Administration criticized newly-adopted Israeli security measures for the occupied West Bank. State Department spokesman Bernard Kalb said the measures which include detention without trial and deportation of persons deemed security risks are likely to foster further tensions," rather than alleviate them. Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in response to the Administration's statements, told reporters "I'm sorry that they are sorry."

August 9:

A special summit of the League of Arab States, meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, "noted with appreciation" the "detailed explanation" presented by Jordan's King Hussein and PLO Chairman Yassir Arafat of their February 1-11th accord, but did not endorse their peace initiative. The official communique of the summit, though stressing "the need for unanimous Arab abidance by the spirit and resolutions of Fez," made no direct reference to the proposed peace talks between the U.S. and a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation. The summit had been convened at the request of Morocco's King Hassan to formulate an Arab position on the Hussein-Arafat initiative. Syria, Libya, Algeria, Lebanon and South Yemen boycotted the meeting.

August 13:

Israel released from Atlit prison near Haifa about 100 Arab prisoners, reducing to 235 the number still held in detention from the group of more than 700 Lebanese and Palestinians originally arrested in southern Lebanon as part of Operation Iron Fist and then transferred to Israel. The hijackers of TWA flight 847 in June had demanded the release of the entire group. The Israeli government denied any connection between the release of prisoners from Atlit and the resolution of the TWA hostage crisis.

August 16:

President Reagan signed a $14.6 billion foreign aid supplemental spending bill for FY 1985 which earmarks an additional $2.5 billion for Middle Eastern countries -$1.5 billion in economic aid to Israel, $500 million to Egypt, and $250 million to Jordan. At his ranch in Santa Barbara, Mr. Reagan told reporters the funds "will contribute significantly to our ability to provide urgently required aid to our friends in the Middle East and will support our efforts to bring peace to the region."

August 18:

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard W. Murphy's six-day Middle East mission undertaken at the request of President Reagan ended without its major objective having been achieved—a meeting between Murphy and a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation which would prepare the way for direct Arab-Israeli peace talks. In a prepared statement, Mr. Murphy said the U.S. "objective remains to chart a feasible and expeditious course for the entire [peace] process, not just one meeting." Jordanian Foreign Minister Taher Masri responded that "things were not going as fast as we thought they would, but there is still a chance." Israeli Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir condemned the proposed talks as "an unprecedently grave step that will have serious implications for peace in the area."

August 28:

Israel released from Atlit prison another 113 detainees from the group of more than 700 Lebanese and Palestinians from southern Lebanon arrested during Operation Iron Fist last year. This was the fifth time since late June that Israel had released a group of prisoners. Between 100 and 150 detainees from Iron Fist remained in Atlit.