97-1 Senate Vote Blocks Arms Package for Jordan

The Senate, handing President Reagan a foreign policy defeat, Thursday blocked an Administration proposal to sell arms to Jordan--the third time in three years that such a sale has been stopped by Congress.

The 97-1 vote ruled out the proposed sale of fighter planes and anti-aircraft missiles unless Jordan’s King Hussein enters direct peace talks with Israel, a formula the Administration had hoped to avoid because of its appearance of coercion.

Secretary of State George P. Shultz had lobbied for the sale in several appearances before Congress, saying that Hussein deserved it and that it would be a sign of U.S. support for his regime as he moves cautiously toward peace talks.

But Israel and its supporters campaigned earlier and harder, barraging Congress with arguments against the sale. As a result, the proposal never got off the ground.

The Senate bill, which the House is expected to endorse, postponed the $1.9-billion deal until March 1, or until Jordan and Israel open “meaningful” peace talks--at which time Congress can vote on the proposal again.

Senators and State Department officials said one reason for the lopsided outcome was that Reagan and Shultz, preoccupied by the coming U.S.-Soviet summit, never gave the issue their full attention--and never brought their full influence to bear.

Asked about the Administration’s lobbying effort, Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, replied, “Thus far, there’s not been a lobbying effort.”

“We started too late,” a State Department official mourned. “And the White House never got terribly involved, never beat up on people the way it would have had to.”

Administration aides emphasized the positive side of the Senate action, pointing out that it gives them a second chance to win approval for a sale that had appeared doomed. “We consider this a postponement,” White House spokesman Larry Speakes said.

But King Hussein, at a news conference in Amman just before the vote, reacted angrily to the prospect of a postponement.

“One wouldn’t like to use the word blackmail,” he said, “but if it were, it is totally unaccepted. And I think it’s not a way of dealing with problems among friends.”

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) replied: “I hope the king didn’t say that and doesn’t believe it, for it’s just not true. We are not trying to blackmail anyone, period. We are trying to take responsible actions to encourage negotiations for a true peace in the Middle East, which will be of more benefit to Jordan’s security than anything else we can do.”

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), another leading opponent of the sale, called the vote “a clear, continuing and appropriate incentive to Jordan to make peace with Israel. The last thing we need is to provide a disincentive to the peace process, by giving the king an opportunity to take our weapons and run.”

Lugar said the prospects for the sale next spring depend on whether peace talks get under way more than on any lobbying effort by the Administration. But he added that if talks do start, “I guess the Administration would encourage the Congress to notice that.”

State Department officials said they are relatively optimistic that direct Israeli-Jordanian talks can be arranged and pointed to recent statements by both Hussein and Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres in favor of such negotiations.

“Events of the past few days demonstrate anew that Jordan and Israel are dedicated to making the peace process work,” State Department spokesman Charles Redman said. “We do believe progress is being made, but it would be a mistake to look for dramatic developments.”

Redman disclosed that Assistant Secretary of State Richard W. Murphy flew secretly to Amman earlier this week to meet with King Hussein to discuss “how to sustain the momentum.”

The arms package for Jordan included mobile Hawk anti-aircraft missiles and either F-16 or F-20 jet fighters. Shultz said Jordan needs the weapons to defend itself against the larger armed forces of neighboring Syria, which has opposed Hussein’s peace initiatives. But Israel said the arms eventually could be used against Jerusalem or Tel Aviv and scoffed at Hussein’s defense concerns.

The Administration first suggested the arms sale as early as February, 1982, and formally proposed various packages in 1982 and 1984, only to find them blocked by Congress.

The sole vote against the Senate measure to delay the sale was cast by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), who said Congress should have rejected the package flatly and given the Administration no second chance.