Reagan Links Saudi Sale, Mideast Credibility

President Reagan, raising the ante in his lobbying campaign for arms to Saudi Arabia, told Republican congressional leaders Tuesday that denial of the proposed sale would “undermine the credibility of all our security commitments” in the Mideast and make stability and peace there even more elusive goals.

“There is no region in the world where our steadfastness and leadership are so pivotal to the course of events,” Reagan said, contending that rejection of the arms package would “send a signal throughout the Middle East to the clear detriment of our interests there for many years to come.”

Both the House and the Senate last week voted against the $354-million sale.

Senate Minority Leader Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), who opposes the sale, said Reagan could prevail if he finds enough “soft arms to twist.”

And Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) said he advised Reagan to invite Jewish leaders to the White House to impress upon them the importance of providing armaments to a moderate Arab nation such as Saudi Arabia.

“We’re dead in the water on the peace process” if the sale is refused, Lugar said, maintaining that “the fate of Israel” is at stake. “It’s not enough simply to be out of the picture,” he said of Jewish organizations that have not lobbied aggressively against the sale. “It’s important that Jewish groups be affirmative on this sale.”

Senators summoned to the White House for an afternoon arm-twisting session with Reagan, Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger gave indications of wavering.

Sen. Steven D. Symms (R-Ida.) said he is “keeping an open mind” and will listen to the President. “He is, after all, the commander in chief,” Symms said.

Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.), who supports the sale, said Reagan is “working very hard” and added, “He wants to uphold his authority to make foreign policy decisions.”

A White House strategist said he thinks that Reagan’s chances of overturning congressional objections are good. “If you look at the list (of senators who voted to block the sale), there is a sufficient reservoir of people who are open to presidential persuasion,” he said.

He named Symms and Sen. Chic Hecht (R-Nev.) as possible swing votes. Both were in the afternoon session with Reagan and other top officials. After hearing the Administration’s pitch and Lugar’s plea for Jewish involvement, Hecht reportedly volunteered to organize a group of Jewish leaders to meet with Reagan.

The Nevada senator, noted for his conservative views, has established close ties with Jewish organizations and is credited with persuading a fellow right-wing senator, Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), to visit Israel.

In his meeting with the lawmakers, Reagan said he regretted being out of town last week when the Saudi arms sale came up in the Senate and the House. But Senate sources said that Reagan knew he did not have the votes and that White House aides tried to limit the damage by influencing the ballot’s scheduling at a time Reagan was in Tokyo for the economic summit.

Still, Reagan was surprised by the overwhelming margin of defeat dealt him by the Republican-controlled Senate. The vote was 73-22 against the sale--the first time that body has gone to the point of voting to block a foreign arms sale supported by the President.

Reagan told congressional leaders Tuesday that he has “no choice but to veto” their action. If he is able to sustain that veto, which he will cast later this week, the sale will go through. Under congressional rules, only one legislative body need fall short of a two-thirds vote to sustain an arms shipment.

Reagan must persuade nine senators to change their minds to reach the magic number of 34 to prevent an override. This takes into account three Republican senators known to support the sale who were absent from last week’s head count. The decisive vote is scheduled next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon notified Congress on Tuesday that it has approved a $42-million sale of 560 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles to Egypt. The United States has previously sold Sidewinders to that pro-American Arab nation for use by its U.S.-made F-16 fighters.

Times staff writers Karen Tumulty and Sara Fritz contributed to this story.