Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird reported today that the Soviet Union has established a naval base in Egypt. He refused to elaborate, however, harking back to Secretary of State William P. Rogers’ call for “quiet diplomacy.” Laird, speaking at a press conference, said the recent shipments of Soviet weaponry to Egypt included “sophisticated” armaments, and that the United States will watch the situation “very carefully” to see that the military balance of power is not tipped against Israel. State Department spokesman Robert J. Closkey said later at his regular noon briefing that while there is “uncertainty between what we know and what we hear,” it was “possible, of course” that the Soviet deliveries have included, as reported, MIG-23 jets. McCloskey said there was no hard evidence of a Soviet personnel build-up in Egypt. Replying to a series of questions by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent, McCloskey said that while the U.S. favors implementation of all the parts of Security Council Resolution 242 of Nov. 22, 1967, “we can’t stand opposed to measures of accommodation which serve the maintenance of the cease-fire.”
McCloskey was apparently alluding to the current consideration of the Middle East parties for an interim solution involving a reopening of the Suez Canal in return for an Israeli troop pullback in the Sinai Peninsula. As for the cease-fire itself, which officially terminated March 7, McCloskey said it was “holding, holding.” He declined comment on Egypt’s proposal that her troops be allowed to cross the canal as part of the interim solution, saying it would “prejudice” the situation. The State Department spokesman insisted that “we are not assuming the role of middleman” in place of Dr. Gunnar V. Jarring, the United Nations’ Mideast intermediary, but that the U.S. would be willing, if asked, to deliver Israel’s awaited policy statement on a canal reopening to Egypt. McCloskey said Secretary Rogers had not yet decided to visit the Mideast during his upcoming visits to London – beginning April 30 for a meeting of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). But McCloskey said a decision on a Mideast stopover would be made before Rogers left for London – that is, within the next two weeks.
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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.
