Saturday, March 20, 2004
Israeli defence delegation on 'trust rebuilding' trip to China
Press Trust of India Jerusalem, March 20
An Israeli defence delegation is on a "trust rebuilding" trip to China, discussing the possibility of renewing defence ties.
The delegation headed by the director-general of the Defence Ministry Amos Yaron, has held talks with the Chinese defence minister, in a meeting which resulted in an agreement to maintain contacts, local media reported.
The visit is the first by defence officials since the resolution of a dispute between Beijing and Jerusalem over Israel's cancellation of the sale of the Phalcon radar system to China.
President Moshe Katsav earlier visited China in mid-December to break the ice on the chilled relations following Israeli compliance to an American dictate, cancelling the supply of the surveillance system.
The purpose of the visit is to test the waters regarding a renewal of security ties between the two countries.
The Defence Ministry described the trip as "a meeting designed to rebuild the trust between the two security agencies."
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2004.