An embargo on the shipment of West German arms to the Middle East was affirmed here today. Deputy Foreign Minister Georg Duckwitz said in an interview that it applied even to unarmed transport planes that Israel asked for last November. The Foreign Ministry official said it was the Federal Republic’s policy to ban all arms shipments to crisis areas. He denied rumors that 54 M-48 tanks of West German origin had been delivered to Israel via Italy. He disclosed for the first time that the Israel Government last November sought to order 20 German transport planes but was turned down even though the planes are unarmed and can be used only for transport missions. The planes are of French-German design and were recently put into service by the West German Air Force. Duckwitz said. He added that if Israel should ask for the delivery of helicopters they would also be refused. He said the embargo applies to Arab countries as well as Israel.
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