Meaningful Relationship?

By PAUL GRAY/

Cuba broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in 1973, but there are signs that the two countries are quietly edging toward a rapprochement. According to an Administration analyst, military advisers from Cuba and Israel are jointly helping the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Army. U.S. military intelligence officials in Panama, combing through papers from the Noriega regime, now believe Panamanian authorities set up several meetings between Fidel Castro and Mike Harari, a retired Israeli intelligence officer. Privately, Cuban officials say they are seeking Israeli help in developing the island's citrus and fishing industries. Rumors of this tentative cooperation are angering Cuban-American leaders in Miami. Congresswoman Ileana Ros- Lehtinen complains about Israel, "This is not what allies are supposed to do."

With reporting by David E. Thigpen