The Egyptian government has submitted a weapons shopping list to West Germany and would also like to manufacture German tanks in Egypt under a licensing agreement, it was reported here today.
The official request was made by the Egyptian Defense Minister, Abu Ghazala at a meeting in Cairo with Bonn’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Juergen Moellemann last week. Moellemann told reporters on his return that the government has not yet decided to approve the arms sales to Egypt. It is understood, however, that it is giving favorable consideration to the Egyptian requests.
Cairo would like to purchase Gepard anti-aircraft armored vehicles, Roland anti-aircraft systems Marder armored troop-carriers and scores of electronic systems for military use.
They are also seeking license to assemble a new West German light tank, which they would call “Fahd” (Leopard) at a plant near Cairo. The tank is not identical to West Germany’s Leopard I or Leopard II — the latter regarded by military experts as the best tank extant — but would be built in cooperation with the Krauss Maffei Co. which builds the two Leopards at its Munich plant.
Ghazala visited Bonn last year to negotiate directly with the manufacturers concerned and to meet his West German counterpart, Manfred Woerner.
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