A South Vietnamese official said Thursday that his government is interested in Israeli military and security aid. According to a Maariv correspondent in Saigon, the official said “South Vietnam expects to get Israeli tactical assistance in training and advisory capacity to match the needs of Saigon with the withdrawal of the American units.” The correspondent said the official stressed that the idea has been “coordinated with” the U.S. and that U.S. officials “favor it.”
The official, who emphasized that Saigon expects to continue the battle “against Communist aggression,” indicated that his government has heard of Israel’s paramilitary nahal settlements and may want to adapt them to its purposes. The two countries established diplomatic relations last week and will soon exchange ambassadors.
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