The United States and Britain are shipping arms to Iraq as a test of the new government’s attitude there toward the West, a report from Washington to the New York Times said today.
The report quoted a State Department spokesman as declaring that the United States shipments did not constitute a resumption of regular military aid, which was automatically suspended when the Government of King Faisal II was toppled. Other authoritative sources said that only a few thousand dollars worth of spare parts, chiefly for small arms, vehicles and signal communications equipment were involved.
The British have obligations to meet for equipping the Iraqi Army with light military equipment, United States sources said. They are making some scheduled deliveries that were delayed, the sources added. However, authorities in Washington said there was no present intention on the part of the United States, and probably on the part of Britain, to send large quantities of military supplies to Iraq, the Times reported.
The report also stated that authoritative sources in Washington said that the United States had asked the revolutionary government what it Intended to do about the agreements signed by the preceding pro-Western regime.
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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.
