Washington Report, October 31, 1983, Page 5

Lobby Activities

For Arabs:

Citing the presence of foreign forces in Lebanon as a continued threat to the safety of the U.S. marines there, the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA) has called for a world-wide embargo of economic and military aid "to any country which occupies Lebanon or which provides military support to militias in Lebanon." NAAA put forth the proposal at a press conference one day after the terrorist attack on the U. S. marine compound at the Beirut airport.

NAAA president Robert Joseph said the embargo could be organized either by an international body such as the U.N. or through bilateral discussions between the U.S. and other governments. He did not, however, call for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Lebanon, but instead suggested that the Administration should consider re-constituting the multinational force with a smaller contribution of U.S. troops or even none at all. "This multinational force could be comprised of nations that would be perceived (in Lebanon) as being more neutral ... and which would not present the kind of target to the people in that country," Mr. Joseph said.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), reiterating its position prior to the bombing, called for the withdrawal of the marines. ADC executive director James Zogby said the U.S. "ought to find neutral nations to play the peacekeeping role" in Lebanon.

For Israel:

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) says it is concerned over the Reagan Administration's handling on Capitol Hill of a once-secret plan to train and equip a Jordanian military unit to assist pro-Western Arab governments in the Gulf during possible emergencies. The existence of the plan was revealed by Israeli radio in mid-October, and was getting a great deal of press coverage prior to the tragic attack on U.S. marines in Lebanon.

AIPAC spokesman Lisa Behren told The Washington Report: "One of our concerns is the procedural problem, in that a lot of members of Congress were not told about it, and that it was kept in a secretive way." She said that in most cases the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has the final say in such matters but that in this case the Administration failed to inform many of its members. Some Congressmen have complained publicly that they were not told of the plan.

Ms. Behren said that to date AIPAC has not come out publicly against the plan, even though its newsletter, Near East Report, recently carried a story saying that weapons provided to Jordan under the proposal would represent "a potential danger" to Israel because the U. S. would have "little control" over their use and because of what the story said was an "unstable" monarchy in Jordan. But among lobby watchers, AIPAC's opposition is taken as a given—since AIPAC has consistently opposed U.S. arms sales to Jordan and to other Arab countries in the past. It is likely that AIPAC would have preferred a larger Congressional debate in the hope that Israel's supporters in Congress would be better able to help defeat it.

Currently, the Administration is seeking between $220 and $230 million in the 1984 defense appropriations bill to supply Jordan with C-130 transport planes, anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft weapons, bridge-laying equipment, as well as other weapons and gear needed for the force. The House Appropriations Committee voted against funding the force while the matter is still under consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee.