Egypt Shows Strength

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31120, 25 July 1966, Page 13

Egypt Shows Strength

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright)

CAIRO, July 24. The United Arab Republic marked the fourteenth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution yesterday with the greatest show of military strength in its history and unveiled new Soviet-built air-to-ground missiles capable of striking targets in Israel.

The ground missiles would enable the Egyptian Air Force for the first time to hit targets in Israel without flying over that country. The missiles—painted a bright red and designed to be slung beneath the wings of Soviet TUI6 medium-range bombers—high-lighted the two-hour military parade celebrating the revolution that toppled King Farouk from the throne in 1952. The parade began with an address by Vice-president Abdel Hakim Amer in which he promised to defend any Arab nation against what he called “Israeli aggression.” President Nasser was on the reviewing stand with Mr

Amer to take the salute at the start of the military review.

In his speech, Mr Amer said that Egypt would defend any Arab country against attacks by Israel regardless of interArab differences.

“Any social or ideological differences will disappear completely at the line of battle against the common enemy of the Arab nation,” he said. President Nasser opened the anniversary celebrations on Friday night with a speech in which he accused the United States of attempting to exert political pressure by halting food shipments to Egypt.

He said the U.A.R. would not “submit or surrender” its political freedom and he denounced American “aggression” in Vietnam, declaring that "people cannot determine their destiny under a hail of bombs.” Russian Help Yesterday’s display of Egypt’s increasingly formidable military powerstrengthened by stepped-up deliveries from the Soviet Union during the last year —comes at a time of rising Arab-Israeli tensions. The Israeli Air Force attacked Syrian engineering installations last week and shot down a Syrian jet. In response to this incident,

President Nasser said that he was prepared to co-ordinate defences with Syria to confront Israel “as one front.” The United Nations Security Council in New York has sche-

duled a session for tomorrow to hear a Syrian complaint Of Israeli "aggression” arising out of the air attack, on engineering installations near the Sea of Galilee. Chief Simeon O. Odebo, of Nigeria, President for July,

set the date and time of the meeting after talks with other members of the 15-nation council.

Earlier he had received a formal letter from Dr. George Tomeh, the chief Syrian delegate, requesting an urgent meeting. Dr. Tomeh charged Israel with committing “an act that seriously threatens the peace and security in the area.” On the day of the Israeli attack, Dr. Michael Comay, the chief delegate of Israel, informed the council by letter that it was a retaliatory measure after persistent actions by Syria which had caused Israeli casualties. He did not ask the council to intervene. President Nasser told a mass rally on Friday night that the United Arab Republic would not attend the next Arab summit conference due in Algiers in September—and almost certainly doomed this controversial conference. Use Of Conference

He said the time had come for Egypt to ask whether it was worth going to these summits.

“Should we go and sit around drinking coffee and asking each other ‘how are you?’” he asked. The Algiers summit conference—one of the series which Arab Heads of State have held to discuss Arab problems and particularly the question of Israel—has become the centre of a sharp conflict between various Arab States.

The division appears to observers particularly sharp between many of the Arab monarchies and many of the Arab Socialist republics. President Nasser’s presence was considered crucial, and Algiers, which was anxious to stage this conference, was known to have tried to win his support. But now he has put an end to speculation by declaring that he has asked for an indefinite postponement.

If the other Arab countries decided to go along with the conference, they were free to do so.

But, he said, the United Arab Republic would not I attend.