Arab Federation Seen As Threat As France Continues to Ship Mirages

Reliable Israeli sources who have studied the statement on the signing of the new Arab federation see a potential threat to Israel in the form of French Mirage jets launched from Egyptian or Syrian, as well as Libyan, airfields. They note that the federation will have a united training-and-operations command for deployment of the services and equipment of any of the three partners. Moreover, they point out, Libya has a token unit at the Suez Canal front, and Libyan planes could be deployed along the canal or from Syria. (In Paris yesterday, it was reliably reported that France will continue Mirage shipments to Libya. See separate story.) The future of the federation, however, is still unknown. For the time being, all three partners appear to be cooperating, and the referenda on the new alignment are certain to be approved by the Egyptian, Libyan and Syrian citizenries Sept. 1.

But each of the three states is out to gain from the new grouping. Libya wants to push further into the Arab world, buying her way along with her enormous resources. Egypt wants financial aid from Libya and her strategic next-door support. Syria is seeking an emergence from her isolation from the bulk of the Arab world, as well as benefits from Libya’s resources. Sources pointed out that Libya, through her strong financial position, has twice already dragged Egypt into action: first in calling for an Arab summit meeting on Jordan’s action against the Palestinian terrorists in Jordan, then in pushing Egyptian President Anwar Sadat into acting in the Sudan during the later-aborted Communist revolt there.