Arens Reportedly Conferred in U.S. on Pollard Case

Israeli Cabinet minister Moshe Arens returned Sunday from a secret mission to the United States, where he discussed the case of a U.S. Navy intelligence analyst charged with spying for Israel, government sources said.

Israel radio said Arens reported to Prime Minister Shimon Peres after he returned from his weekend Washington trip and that Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin also attended the meeting.

A State Department spokesman confirmed that Arens was in Washington on Thursday and met with Secretary of State George P. Shultz. Israel radio said that Ram Caspi, a leading Israeli criminal lawyer, also went to Washington in connection with the case.

The government sources said Israeli and U.S. officials have arranged ground rules for U.S. Justice and State department officials to question Israelis allegedly linked to the case of Jonathan J. Pollard, the civilian Navy employee.

A U.S. delegation, including FBI agents, is to leave the United States for Israel on Tuesday to interview an Israeli counterterrorism official and two Israel diplomats who allegedly had been in contact with Pollard in Washington.