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Israel facing contract losses for Star Wars, VOA projects by Joseph Polakoff TSI’s Washington correspondent WASHINGTON—Amendments adopted by the Senate to legisla tion affecting the departments of Defense and State strike at agree ments reached between the Reagan administration and Israel regard ing construction of a Voice of America transmitter in Israel and contracts expected by Israel in re lation to the Strategic Defense Ini tiative (SDI) program. Vice President George Bush wit nessed the initialing of the trans mitter project when he was recently in Jerusalem. The project’s cost was earmarked at $60 million, down from the U.S. Information Agency’s requested $100 million in the authorization legislation for the State Depart ment and USIA. But the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee de creased the funds in its measure. The House has appropriated $60 million. The project’s future will be determined in a House-Senate con ference in September. Construction of the transmitter is considered by USIA officials as part of America’s national security operation, being a force in the “war of ideas.” It was described as “the center- piece” transmitter that will direct broadcasts to the western reaches of the Soviet Union and to its south eastern sectors inhabited by non- Russian ethnic groups. Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) in troduced an amendment to the Defense Department authorization legislation that banned SDI devel opment contracts to foreign gov ernments or companies for services that can be met by American con cerns. The House does not have such language in its legislation. This amendment is to be considered in another House-Senate conference. Israel was the world’s third coun try, after Britain and West Ger many, to sign agreements with the U.S. supporting the “Star Wars” project. Harru Borman, realtors’ ^ Sine* 1930 At Your Service. Promise. Brian Lawson Realtor Specializing in listing, marketing and selling residential property in Northeast and Northwest Atlanta. Member A ha vat h Ac him Synagogue Office: 329-0188 Res.: 325-5588 .Jthe Classic Collection Israel Bar Association leader meets with Soviet counterpart by Judith Kohn NEW YORK (JTA)—The pres ident of the Israel Bar Association held four separate meetings this week with the head of a counter part Soviet group, during an Amer ican lawyers convention in New York, it was disclosed. The meetings between Menachem Berger and Alexander Sukharev, president of the Association of Soviet Lawyers (ASL), took place against the background of an un successful effort by delegates to the American Bar Association (ABA) meeting here to bring an end to a recently established cooperation agreement with the ASL. The Soviet group has been strongly criticized by human rights organizations as a propagandist for the Kremlin, and its publica tions have included fiercely anti- Zionist and anti-Semitic writings. Berger said the first meetings with Sukharev was initiated by ABA president William Falsgraf, “and then it continued from day to day.” The conversations, he said in a telephone interview with the JT A, were “on very general terms,” and included such issues as Soviet Jew ish emigration and “anti-Semitism in Russia as compared to anti- Semitism in Western Europe and the United States.” He said the possibility of establishing some kind of ties between the Israeli and Soviet bars was also discussed. But Berger said he did not con front the ASL head with specific instances of anti-Semitic activities in which the organization has been engaged. Its copublication, for ex ample, of the White Book, which assails Russian Jews who wish to emigrate, did not come up in their meeting. “As a matter of fact, it was a surprise to me that a person of his standing would want to speak with the president of the Israeli bar,” said Berger, explaining why the talks were confined to such a gen eral exchange of views. “Mr. Sukharev listened to what I had to say,” he said. “He was neither sympathetic nor unsympa thetic. He heard me. And this is a direct result of the cooperative agreement that the ABA has entered into with the Soviet lawyers groups.” Berger, who was elected an hon orary member of the ABA. said he had spoken in support of the much criticized cooperative agreement when he addressed an ABA con vention session of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. Most of the 100 partici pants at the meeting shared his position, he said. “The only chance we have to influence the Soviets, to demand the right to represent Jewish refus- niks in court, is by confronting them face to face,” Berger main tained. “This can be done if there is some kind of relationship. It can not be done otherwise.” The agreement also received the support of Morris Abram, a law yer who is chairman of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organiza tions, who spoke at the ABA con vention. Berger said that further ties be tween the two organizations would depend on the establishment of relations between the two govern ments. Israeli-Soviet consular talks scheduled to take place next week in Helsinki have been widely inter preted as a possible opening for the reestablishment of some formal ties between the two countries. Berger said that further contact Next time you feed your face, think about your heart. between his organization and the ASL might depend on the outcome of those talks. “He has my card and I have his card, and we promised each other that once the talks will succeed we will see about starting mutual rela tions between our organizations,” Berger said. “You have to allow yourself a certain period of time. These things don’t take just a month or two months,” he maintained. “It takes time. It takes time first of all to come to know each other.” SPRING & SUMMER CLEARANCE Better Knitwear for the Classic Woman Sizes 6 to 18 50% „ 60% OFF LAST CALL 220 Sandy Springs Circle Springs Festival Atlanta, Ga. 30328 (404) 256-4847 Mon.-Sat. 10-6 AtManiott, tradition isrftjust • a reason to ceMmite.lt is the celebration. Go easy on your heart and start cut ting back on foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. The change’ll do you good. 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