Kenya expected to react strongly to Amin bombing threat

Press, 19 July 1976, Page 8

Kenya expected to react strongly to Amin bombing threat

NZPA-Reuter

Nairobi

Kenya is expected to react strongly to a Ugandan threat to bomb President Jomo Kenyatta’s main residence at Nakuru, and the port of Mombasa.

The threat was included inn Uganda s most belligerent ' outburst in a two-week-old war of words between the , two neighbours after Israel's ; raid on Entebbe Airport to free hostages held by pro- j Palestinian hijackers. , President Idi Amin of; Uganda has accused Kenya j of collaborating in the raid. Kenya has strongly denied ' this charge. i Ugandan radio, monitored | in Nairobi, quoted a military ( spokesman as saying that < President Amin’s Govern- i rnent was ready to retaliate for the deaths of • Ugandans ( and Palestinians in the raid. , The radio said: “It is not 1 difficult to destroy Nakuru 1 from the air, and we are

'capable of reaching Mombasa and back without refuelling." President Kenyatta lives mainly at Nakuru, which i s •225 km from Uganda. Observers in Nairobi said a strong Kenyan reaction was expected over what could only be interpreted as | a direct threat to President Kenyatta. However, they disputed Uganda’s claim that the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa, 800 km from the border, was within operational range of Ugandan Air Force warplanes. The Ugandan radio said earlier that two fighter planes had briefly entered Ugandan air space from Kenya. / It quoted a military

spokesman as saying: “We believe in peace with our neighbours and the world over, but it will not be our responsibility when we cross the border.”

The spokesman also said that Kenya was “in the pockets of British and American imperialists as well as Zionist Israel,” according to the radio. It added that there were “European white mercenaries” along the KenyaUganda border, Israelis and Americans.

The radio reported that President Amin had sent a message to the Palestine Liberation Front leader (Mr Yasser Arafat) promising that "imperialists and Zionists” would pay heavily for the blood shed at Entebbe.