Cheney Hears Shamir View on Mideast Arms

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir on Friday told visiting Defense Secretary Dick Cheney that any Middle East arms-control talks must focus on conventional rather than non-conventional weapons.

“Enormous stockpiles of conventional weapons exist in this region. We have to give priority to this subject when we talk about arms control in the Middle East,” Shamir said in a guarded response to Washington’s new proposal for such curbs. He was quoted by his spokesman, Avi Pazner.

A key element of the plan unveiled by President Bush earlier this week is a freeze on nuclear weapons programs. Such a proposal would mainly affect Israel, believed to be the only Middle East nation with a developed nuclear-arms capability.

Cheney assured Shamir during their 75-minute meeting that Washington remains committed to Israel’s security and recognizes the need for Israel to retain its qualitative edge over its Arab enemies, Pazner said.

The Shamir-Cheney meeting came a day after the defense secretary announced in Tel Aviv that the United States would supply an additional 10 used F-15 fighter planes to Israel and help finance the development of an anti-missile missile.

Cheney also said the United States and Israel are carrying out an agreement to store military equipment in Israel for use in future emergencies. “It is under way as we speak,” he said of the agreement.

After winding up his three-day visit to Israel, Cheney traveled to Cairo, where he was to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today. His four-day visit will include discussions of the U.S. arms control initiative and a new security arrangement for the Persian Gulf in the wake of the Gulf War.