Egypt Pledges Renewed Support for Nuclear Pact : Weapons: Mubarak had threatened boycott of non-proliferation treaty extension unless Israel signed.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, after months of threatening to block U.S. efforts to permanently extend the international pact regulating nuclear weapons, has pledged not to withdraw from the treaty even if Israel refuses to sign.

Coming before talks with President Clinton today, Mubarak’s comments in an interview with The Times defused the most troublesome dispute between the United States and Egypt since before the Camp David accords of 1978.

Egypt had suggested that it would lead a boycott by the 22-nation Arab League and other countries of the effort to indefinitely extend the 25-year-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and hinted that it might pull out of the agreement unless Israel, the only Mideast nation believed to have nuclear weapons, signed on.

“We are not going to withdraw from the NPT, that is for sure,” Mubarak said in an interview Monday.

He did not promise Egypt’s vote to make the treaty permanent, but he conceded that if a majority of the 171 signatory nations vote to extend it indefinitely, “it is going to affect all countries.”

Aides said later that Egypt almost certainly will vote with the United States on the issue.

The Clinton Administration has made the permanent extension of the NPT, which comes up for renewal at a conference opening April 17 at the United Nations, the centerpiece of its program to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Although U.S. officials are becoming increasingly confident that the extension will be approved, Washington wants an overwhelming vote to dramatize its non-proliferation goals. The defection of a close ally like Egypt would be extremely embarrassing to the Administration.

Egypt will continue negotiating a compromise with Israel, Mubarak said, answering questions in an ornate sitting room of Blair House, across the street from the White House.

He said Egypt is trying to persuade Israel to open its nuclear program to international inspections, a step Jerusalem says it will take only when it makes peace with every state in the region--including three with which it has not even begun discussions: Iran, Iraq and Libya.

Mubarak said Egypt understands why Israel might want to wait until it reaches a peace agreement with Syria before renouncing nuclear weapons.

But he scoffed at Israel’s concern about nations that are not even on its borders. He said Israel seems to want to “enlarge the Middle East until it reaches North Korea.”

“We signed a peace treaty for 17 years,” he said. “The Jordanians have already signed a peace treaty. The Palestinians signed a declaration of principles. And the Syrians are on their way negotiating peace now. . . . (So) we are asking the Israelis to join the NPT or to tell us when they will join it.”

Although the Administration wants “universal” adherence to the treaty, it has been reluctant to push Israel.

On other topics, Mubarak said:

* He realizes that cuts are likely in the $2.2-billion-a-year U.S. aid program for Egypt, but he called on Congress to impose proportional cuts in Washington’s $3-billion aid package to Israel.

* He believes that Syria and Israel will soon reach an agreement that will, at a minimum, return the Golan Heights to Syria and allow each nation to open a diplomatic mission in the capital of the other.

* Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi has become “much more moderate” in recent years and has curbed the activities of terrorist groups once based in Libya.

* A major purpose of his first visit to the United States since Republicans won control of the Senate and House is “to get acquainted with the newcomers in Congress, to explain to them the situation” in the Middle East.

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Mubarak said he does not plan to discuss foreign aid on Capitol Hill unless he is asked specific questions. But he was ready with two arguments: Most of the aid money is spent in the United States, and the United States enjoys a massive trade surplus with Egypt, with U.S. exports reaching $4 billion a year, compared to $640 million in Egyptian sales to the United States.

He noted that Israel and Egypt rank first and second on the list of recipients of U.S. aid because of commitments made by Washington at the time of the Camp David accords.

“Whatever they want to reduce, I think it is fair to reduce both sides,” he said. “I think we should be on equal footing with the Israelis.”

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U.S. officials say the White House will continue to support the Egyptian aid package, at least for a while.

“Certainly, the Administration will continue to very strongly press the case for aid for Egypt with the Congress,” State Department spokeswoman Christine Shelly said. “We believe that our assistance plays a very valuable role.”

As for a possible peace deal between Israel and Syria, Mubarak said, “We know very well that the Israelis cannot feel safe unless there (are) diplomatic relations that make them feel secure.”

And Syrian President Hafez Assad “understands very well that there will be no progress unless they give something to the Israelis for normalization.”

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Warren Christopher warned Syria and Israel that “electoral clocks” are ticking, a reference to upcoming general elections in Israel and the United States that may divert attention from the negotiations and could result in changes in the governments in both countries.

“The attention and energy required to achieve a breakthrough will not exist indefinitely, and that’s why I’ve urged the parties to accelerate their talks. . . . It’s time now for the parties to make the necessary, bold decision,” Christopher said in a speech to the Anti-Defamation League National Leadership Conference.