CAB148-30-Defence and Oversea Policy Committee Meetings Relating to 1967 Disturbances-1967 — Page 312

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1.

SALE OF ARMS TO ISRAEL AND THE ARAB COUNTRIES

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The Committee had before then a memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs(OPD(67)78) on policy for the sale of arms to Israel and

the Arab Countries.

THE FOREIGN SECRETARY said that there was no immediate prospect that

agreement would be reached among the major arms-producing countries on a

controlled limitation on arms supplies to the Middle East; nor would Israel

or the Arab States co-operate in any such arms limitation in the absence

of a political settlement in the area. Although we must continue to work

for arms limitations in the Middle East, we had to recognise that a uni-

lateral refusal on our part to supply any arms to countries in that area

would not be effective in military or political terms and would lose

important export markets for our industry. If the more moderate Arab States

could not obtain the arms supplies that they needed from the West, they

might seek to purchase them from the Soviet Union. Although he shared the

widespread distaste in this country for the sale of arms in an area which had seen three Arab/Israeli conflicts in twenty years, he believed that in

all the circumstances we should continue to supply arms to the Middle East.

In deciding what types of arms should be supplied we should however have

regard to the need to preserve an effective balance of forces in the area;

we should also, so far as possible, not supply arms of a greater offensive

power than those already deployed in the area and we should avoid becoming

the principal supplier to Israel of any additional najor types of arms

supplies; we should in no circumstances supply equipment to either Israel

or the Arab States which would contribute to the development of a nuclear

capability and we should examine particularly closely applications for the supply of arms to any Arab country which maintained a hostile attitude

towards us.

In discussion there was general agreement with the Foreign Secretary's

proposals. It would be advantageous for industry to know in advance

precisely what arms they would be permitted to sell to various countries

in the Middle East. Nevertheless it would continue to be necessary to

consider major items on their merits in the circumstances of the time; we

should not agree to supply any particular type of arms merely because some

other country was willing, or alleged to be willing, to supply it if we did

not.

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