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Friday April 21, 2000

China's leader leaves Israel with arms sale still up in air

NAOMI SEGAL
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

JERUSALEM -- Chinese President Jiang Zemin has wrapped up a historic weeklong trip to the Jewish state -- apparently with Israel neither confirming nor rejecting a possible sale of military technology to Beijing.

China billed Jiang's visit as a chance for him to discuss the Middle East peace process, but it was overshadowed by U.S.-Israeli tensions over Israel's plan to sell a $250 million airborne radar system to Beijing.

Accompanying Jiang on the final day of his visit, Israeli President Ezer Weizman said Tuesday that the Jewish state would "find a solution" to those tensions. His words left it unclear whether the sale of Israel's Phalcon early warning radar system would go through.

Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen pressed Prime Minister Ehud Barak to cancel plans to sell the system. Cohen said publicly that it was "counterproductive" to the region, especially with escalating tensions between China and Taiwan.

President Clinton likewise brought up the planned sale when he met with Barak last week in Washington.

Israeli officials now say they are hoping to find a compromise that would appease its closest ally while not reneging on a lucrative contract with China.

One possibility would have Israel supply China with only one plane that has already been outfitted with the Phalcon system, which has a technology similar to the U.S. airborne command centers known as AWACs. But Israel may not follow through in selling three to seven more similarly equipped aircraft to Beijing.

Barak has pledged that, in any case, Israel would not transfer American technologies to China.

Jiang used the trip to press for the deal. At one news conference, Jiang praised the Israelis and said he had great respect for their intelligence and hardworking nature.

"Although our countries are very far away geographically and different in size, we both have long histories, histories of hardship and suffering, so that we share many emotions," Jiang said.

U.S. Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-Ala.), the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee, has said he would block $250 million in annual foreign aid to Israel if the Jewish state goes ahead with the sale to China.

Aside from the arms sale controversy, Jiang's April 12-18 visit reflected the deepening relations between Israel and China since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.

During his trip -- the first by a Chinese president to the Jewish state -- Jiang held a series of talks with Israeli leaders, including Barak.

He visited the Western Wall and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, as well as Christian and Islamic holy sites. Accompanied by a large delegation of Chinese officials, he also toured agricultural projects in southern Israel.

Jiang concluded his trip Tuesday with tours of two Israeli high-tech companies that together do a $100 million business each year with China.

Earlier in his stay, Jiang made one-day trips to Egypt and the Palestinian self-rule areas, where he voiced his support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

China was among the first nations to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964 and Palestinian self-declared independence in 1988.

At this point, however, cooperation between Israel and China is not limited to the military sphere.

The two countries are also interested in cultivating political, economic, agricultural and scientific ties. In 1997, Israel and China formed joint committees dealing with agriculture, telecommunications, health and electronics. China's second most powerful figure, Li Peng, visited Israel last November.

Weizman said he was encouraged that Jiang used Israel as a home base for his trips to Egypt and the self-rule areas.

"It means he takes us seriously," Weizman said. "He appreciates what we do."

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