Britain Resumes Mideast Arms Sales

Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home told the House of Commons today that Britain was resuming arms deliveries to the Middle East. In his address, the Foreign Secretary welcomed the Israeli-Egyptian disengagement pact, which, he said, though it does not go so far as guaranteeing peace, certainly reduces very sharply the danger of renewed military confrontations between the two sides.

In these circumstances, he said, the British government has decided to waive its previous ban on the supply of arms to the “battlefield countries.” This would seem to apply to Israel and those Arab countries bordering on it. Countries such as Saudi Arabia were never considered “battlefield countries” and were exempted from the previous ban.