Mr Sadat's alternatives

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33154, 19 February 1973, Page 12

Mr Sadat's alternatives

President Sadat’s security adviser, Mr Hafez Ismail, who visited Moscow last week, is off to London and Washington in what appears to be a new round of Egyptian diplomatic initiatives. While it might be too much to expect rapid progress towards a lasting settlement of the Middle East crisis, Mr Ismail’s travels suggest a new readiness on the part of Egypt to look for a settlement with the assistance of the great Powers, but without involving them directly. Mr Ismail apparently failed while in Moscow to secure the return of the Russians to Egypt after their expulsion last July. But the Russians still have an opportunity, if they wish to take it, to retrieve their position in Egypt

Clearly, any Russian return to Cairo will be limited, both in numbers and in intent. There is nothing in the statement issued at the end of the latest visit to Moscow to indicate that Russia, as a provider of arms and aircraft, wishes to be involved, even indirectly, in any further Egyptian attack on Israel. Mr Brezhnev seems to have gone no further than to promise respect for the 1971 treaty of friendship between the two countries. There is no more than a vague reference to “ strengthening ” Egypt militarily, with an airy endorsement of the right of the Arab States concerned “to use any “ form of struggle to liberate their occupied “ territories

Mr Brezhnev’ can afford now’ to make some show of compromise with Mr Sadat. Naval facilities, if u anted, are still available to Russia’s “ East “ Mediterranean fleet ” at Alexandria and Mersa Matruh. The Russian return, in brief, will be little more than a polite gesture, indicating that Mr Sadat will have to use the best means available to him to get a settlement w’ith Israel. He will have to rely on diplomacy, not arms. A military settlement of Egypt’s quarrel with Israel would require concerted Arab planning and support, implying a degree of Arab unity not yet in sight. Curiously, Libya’s President, rather than Egypt’s, now seems to be the realist of the Arab world. President Gadaffi said recently that peace on Israel’s terms—full recognition of Israel’s independence and sovereignty—would be “ better than losing battles and clashes on Arab “ territory ”. The Russians will probably lose no opportunity of commending that assessment to their Egyptian clients.