President Anwar Sadat said today that he would leave for Moscow tomorrow or Thursday to renew Egypt’s request for sophisticated weapons that could be used in offensives military operations, Cairo radio reported today. Sadat’s remarks were contained in a message to the Arab Socialist Union, Egypt’s only political party.
Sadat revealed that the Soviet Union has refused so far to provide Egypt with supersonic Tupolov-22 bombers, air-to-ground missiles and other weapons it has requested. He also disclosed that in addition to arms from the Soviet Union, Egypt was receiving British and French weapons through a third nation.
Sadat did not name the country but Israeli circles are convinced it is Libya which has gotten Centurion tanks from Britain and Mirage Jets from France. Although France insists its contract for the Mirages forbids Libya to transfer the planes to a third party, Israelis claim that the planes are indeed intended for Egypt and transferred there by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, leader of Libya’s ruling military Junta.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
