U.S. and Israel Issue Joint Statement on Agreement to Resolve Defense Technology Issues
The U.S. and Israel, in a joint statement issued on August 16, 2005, say they have agreed on a remedy for previous troubles in their defense technology security relationship that resulted from Israel's plans to supply spare parts for unmanned Harpy surveillance aircraft it had previously sold to China.
Israel's ambassador to the United States, Daniel Ayalon, said the agreement ends the dispute by dealing with principles, not details and "the major principle is mutual consultation." Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said there will not be a U.S. veto for possible arms sales by Israel, but that U.S. officials will be informed and consulted. Whitman said the agreement would begin to restore U.S. confidence in Israel's ability to protect sensitive technologies.
The complete text of the joint statement is as follows:
U.S. Department of Defense - Israeli Ministry of Defense Joint Press Statement
The strategic alliance between the United States and Israel reflects common understandings of the global security environment. In this cooperative relationship, the United States and Israel share information and consult on possible threats to U.S. and Israeli defense interests.
The U.S. Department of Defense and the Israeli Ministry of Defense have signed an understanding that is designed to remedy problems of the past that seriously affected the technology security relationship between their defense establishments and which begins to restore confidence in the technology security area. In the coming months additional steps will be taken to restore confidence fully.
The signing of this understanding underscores the commitment of the U.S. and Israel to work together to address global security challenges. Cooperation between the U.S. and Israel is important to the security of the Middle East and we expect that cooperation to continue.
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