British Press Warns of New Middle Eastern Arms Race After French-iraq Deal

Warnings of a new arms race in the Middle East were sounded by two British newspapers today. The Times stated, in an editorial on the French agreement to sell 54 Mirage jets to Iraq, that “it is clear a further Middle East arms race is under way.” Eric Downton, in a dispatch from Jerusalem to the Daily Telegraph, said “the grim escalation goes on, aided by the major powers, Including Britain and France, who eagerly sell weapons to the Middle East while piously preaching peace.”

(The JTA reported from Paris today that Israel had paid the final installment – $20 million-on the 50 Mirage supersonic jet fighter bombers it ordered from France two years ago but which were embargoed by the de Gaulle Government following last June’s Arab-Israel war. The deadline for payment to the Dessault Co., manufacturers of the warplane, was April 15. informed circles here noted that Israel, having discharged its legal obligations under the contract, now has grounds to demand that the planes be delivered. It was further noted that Israel can attack the embargo on her aircraft as biased in light of the French agreement this week to sell 54 Mirages to Iraq.)

(The Washington Evening Star commented editorially today that if the French-Iraqi deal for the Mirages Is carried out, “the United States will be obligated to take another look at Israel’s needs lest the Mideast balance of power be dangerously upset.”

(The newspaper said “the development could activate the understanding reached early this year when Israeli Premier Eshkol met with President Johnson. There was talk then, but no final decision, on Israel’s request to buy 50 American Phantom jet fighter-bombers. The joint communique simply declared that defense needs would be kept under “active review in the fight of all relevant factors, including the shipment of military equipment by others to the area.” A “relevant factor” is certainly the French Mirage deal with Iraq, the paper said.)

The Daily Telegraph correspondent noted that Egypt and Syria have been given all the weapons and equipment they can handle to replace last June’s war losses while Jordan is receiving arms from Britain and America and Israel, too, continues to improve its military strength. The Arabs face the problem of raising their technological standards, the writer said. He suggested that the El Fatah terrorist campaign against Israel should be kept in perspective because “so far it has done more harm to King Hussein than to Israel.” The Times, while decrying the Middle East arms race, asserted that the “Western powers, Britain in particular, should be grateful” to France for the influential role it is playing in the Arab world.