President Sadat of Egypt has ordered his National Security Council to meet tomorrow to discuss military and political moves for the period after Feb. 5 when the current United States-sponsored cease-fire on the Suez Canal runs out, it was learned here. Despite growing world attention as the date nears, officials here said, there appears no special tension on the Egyptian side of the truce line. Egyptian soldiers have been seen walking along the canal without helmets or weapons although concentrations of artillery and armor have been reported from Cairo. The Egyptians also were said to have assembled canal crossing equipment on the east bank. There also have been reports from Beirut that Egypt has called up a number of reserve units.
Officials here said that it appeared that the Egyptian military command was making all possible preparations as the critical date approached, ready for military action if that decision was made by the Sadat regime. The officials said there were no special alertness signs on the Israeli side but that plans had been made to introduce again the measures ordered when the initial cease-fire period ended last November. These included instructions to troops to keep below the skyline, wear anti-splinter helmets and follow transportation orders in the canal zone.
President Sadat’s political advisor, Hussein Sabry, charged during a visit to Lima yesterday that the weaponry Israel is receiving from the United States “can destroy my country easily.” He added that he hoped “a third world war can be avoided,” but said he was “seriously preoccupied” with the possibilities of such a war. At a press conference, he called for complete Israeli evacuation from occupied. Arab territories, but also mentioned the right to existence of all nations in the area. Egyptian agreement to an extension of the Middle East cease-fire after Feb. 5 without progress in the peace talks “would mean that we abandon our territories,” Sabry insisted, adding that Israel’s “intransigence” has been bolstered by American arms that have converted Israel into a “branch of the Pentagon” that threatens Egyptian security with an overpowering arsenal.
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