Letter, T. J. de Waal, Executive General Manager of Armscor, Regarding Relations with Israel

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Dear Rusty

Hereto the summary of the yearly meeting between the chairperson of Armscor and the Israeli Minister of Defence during our recent visit to Israel. 

We trust it will be informative.

Kind regards

Sincerely

TJ DE WAAL

EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER

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ISRAEL

PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF DEFENCE RABIN – 24/6/1993

The appointment was made for the chairperson of Armscor by the MOD and was arranged on the day we requested it to be. 

Mr Rabin started by saying that there is great confidence and an excellent understanding between us and them on a military level and that he is very glad about it but he foresees a change in the future. 

We expressed our satisfaction with the current projects and said that we have discussed it with the ANC and it seems as if there will be acceptance thereof. The importance to manage the transition while new relationships develop has been stressed. 

Mr Moolman stressed the importance of the bilateral relationships but is also of the opinion that Armscor’s relationship wrt the supplying of weapons to the United States of America is currently extremely problematic and that it is affecting Israel as well. 

Mr Rabin stated that they would gladly build a new relationship with the ANC but our Department of Foreign Affairs asked for restraint. We mentioned that it is not wrong to start new relationships but it must be done in a cautious manner. He further concluded that once the ANC is part of the RSA government the black support in the USA will lead to a much better relationship between the USA and RSA. 

The conversation also touched on Gen Viljoen’s (whom Rabin knows personally) joining the RSA politics. The importance of the negotiations in the next couple of weeks is also stressed. 

We thanked him for the conversation and assured him we will work on the relationships during the changes.