Cheney Arrives in Israel for Arms Talks : Defense: He will try to reassure officials jittery about Bush’s Mideast disarmament proposal.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney arrived here Wednesday for arms talks with the Israeli government that are likely to be conducted in an atmosphere made tense by a Mideast arms-control initiative President Bush unveiled Wednesday.

Bush called on the Mideast nations, including Israel, to freeze their development, production and testing of missiles like the modified Scud missile used by Iraq, or Israel’s Jericho missile.

At the same time, he urged Mideast states to adopt a ban on production of nuclear-weapons materials and to “accede” to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Israel has not signed.

Anticipating the U.S. initiative, Israeli officials here have complained privately that Bush’s proposal would rob their nation of its most potent military weapons, including nuclear weapons and their long-range, surface-to-surface Jericho missiles.

En route from a meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, Cheney appeared eager to reassure the Israeli government.

“I think Israel’s position in terms of military security is greater today than it’s been in a long time because of what we did with respect to the destruction of (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein’s offensive military capability,” Cheney told reporters traveling with him.

After Bush’s speech outlining the proposal, the government here cautiously welcomed it, declaring that “Israel and the United States share the concern about the potential of destruction in the Middle East.”

“Israel is studying the (U.S.) initiative in depth and in detail and will approach the Administration in order to work together for peace and stability in the region,” said Avi Pazner, spokesman for Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.

However, Israel, the only country in the region known to possess nuclear weapons, was noncommittal on the issue of non-conventional arms and reiterated its call for an international conference of arms suppliers and recipients in the Middle East aimed at completely stopping the flow of weapons, conventional and non-conventional, to the region.

“Israel renews its call for the convening of this conference and declares its readiness to contribute to its success,” Pazner said. But he stopped short of pledging Israel’s support for a drive to eliminate chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in the region.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Arens earlier this week proposed a conference to cut back the flow of conventional arms to the Middle East, but he did not refer to nuclear weapons. Although Israel has consistently refused to discuss it, regional strategic experts estimate that Israel has 100 nuclear warheads that could be delivered either by aircraft or atop its long-secret Jericho missiles.

In meetings with Cheney, beginning today, Israeli officials are expected to register their concerns that Bush is not focusing enough attention on the stockpiles of conventional weapons in the region.

For weeks during the Persian Gulf War, Iraqi Scuds rained down on Israel, prompting officials to worry aloud that the Jewish state would need to buy new arms to protect itself from powerful Arab adversaries like Iraq.

Cheney told the reporters on his plane that Washington will continue to help Israel develop and build an arsenal superior to those of its potential Mideast adversaries.

“We’ve been committed for a long time to helping them maintain their qualitative edge, and that’s unchanged,” Cheney said.

Israeli officials have complained in recent weeks that Washington is dragging its feet on delivering $700 million in arms.

Healy reported from Tel Aviv and en route from Brussels. Murphy reported from Jerusalem.