Sadat Optimistic About Mideast Peace; Signs Accord with France for Vast New Arms Arsenal

President Anwar Sadat of Egypt ended his three-day state visit to France this afternoon with strong protestations of peaceful intentions in the Middle East and agreements for a vast new war arsenal of French-made combat aircraft and other military hardware in his pocket. At a press conference shortly before his departure in the Hotel Marigny, his official residence during his brief stay here, the Egyptian leader declared, “This is the first time in 26 years that peace is possible.”

He added that neither Egypt nor Syria have the slightest intention to renew their war with Israel, saying. “I can frankly speak for Syria as we have a unified command with the Syrian army.” He said that he agreed with U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s statement yesterday that the Israeli and Egyptian positions on a peace settlement were reconcilable and that Egypt was ready to sign a peace agreement and accept Israel’s right to exist inside guaranteed borders.

However, Sadat warned that the Middle East situation remains explosive. He said Egypt would do all it could to reach a peaceful solution by political means but added, “My patience is not unlimited.” He said the responsibility rested with Israel to “defuse the explosive situation” and suggested that Israel start by undertaking partial withdrawals in the Sinai, the West Bank and the Golan Heights.

Sadat said he favored guarantees to facilitate the peace-process and that he would welcome French troops to the peace-keeping forces on the Egyptian-Israeli border on condition that “such forces be stationed on both sides of the frontier; in both Sinai and in Israel proper.” The Egyptian President departed from Orly Airport where he was accompanied by Premier Jacques Chirac.

ARMS FOR THE AID OF EGYPT

A Franco-Egyptian communique issued earlier said that “France has agreed to sell certain types of military equipment to Egypt to compensate for part of its losses” during the Yom Kippur War. The communique also mentioned several joint economic projects in the civilian sector, including the construction of a Cairo subway railway material, a sugar refinery, an automobile plant and the development of the Suez Canal zone. According to French sources, Egypt has $2 billion in credits put at its disposal by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Arab states.

Sadat confirmed at his press conference that Egypt had purchased French-made Mirage jets and other types of military equipment but refused to reveal the quantities and types of planes. Reliable sources here said the Franco-Egyptian deals provide for the sale of 48 Mirages and a small number of “Alphajet” training aircraft. According to the sources, most of the Mirages are of the more conventional III-C type and will be delivered to Egypt shortly.

But the contract also provides for the delivery at a future date of an unspecified number of F-Is, a highly sophisticated combat jet that France is trying to sell to four Western European NATO countries. In addition, the sources said, the arms deal includes direct delivery to Egypt of 40 Mirages that Saudi Arabia recently purchased on Cairo’s behalf. Six of them have already been delivered directly from the French air base at Istres near Marseilles.

The sources told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Sadat has also concluded agreements for the purchase of various types of French-made radar and ultra-sophisticated electronic equipment. The radar mentioned is manufactured by the “Thomson CSF Co,” whose plant Sadat visited yesterday. It operates in conjunction with France’s “Crotal” surface-to-surface land and sea missiles, made by the “Matra” works, which Egypt has also contracted to buy, the sources said.

‘TRICK’ TO FORCE MOSCOW’S AID

Many observers here expressed doubt that France has the technical capacity to replace the Soviet Union as Egypt’s chief supplier of military equipment. Some Western diplomats suggested that the Franco-Egyptian arms agreement was “only a trick” to force Moscow into resuming large-scale arms shipments to Egypt. Sadat had complained in recently published interviews that Russia stopped all arms deliveries to Egypt, including essential spare parts, immediately after the Yom Kippur War and has since reneged on promised arms supplies.

Military experts here also expressed doubt that Egypt could, by itself, maintain such sophisticated equipment as the F-1 fighter-bomber which demands a highly skilled maintenance and flying capacity. France currently produces about six F-Is a month but the Dassault Co., which manufactures them, has reportedly plans to expand production in preparation for possible contracts for 300 such planes for Belgium, Holland, Norway and Denmark.

During his visit here, Sadat had at least as many meetings with French arms manufacturers as with the country’s top political leaders. Yesterday he conferred at the Hotel Marigny with the presidents of “Dassault-Breguet,” “Matra” and the “SNECMA Works” which produces jet engines for war planes.