Egypt moves troops in 'protective step’

Press, 14 August 1976, Page 6

Egypt moves troops in 'protective step’

NZPA Cairo |t Egypt is massing troops ] and armour along its west- < border with Libya to prevent < the infiltration of Libyantrained saboteurs, military i sources said yesterday. The sources, quoted by the semi-official "Al Ahram” newspaper, said the build-up was a “protective step” and included infantry, armour, paratroopers, and air defence units. However, political sources said the build-up did not mean the two countries were about to go to war. It was the first time in many years that Egypt had stationed rroops along its western border. The bulk of the Egyptian armed forces usually is positioned along the eastern confrontation lines with Israel. The new build-up will “not affect the strategic bal-

lance of the armed forces,” the newspaper said. This i presumably meant the size i of forces manning the eastern lines has not been cut. The newspaper said that ; the Libyan leader (Colonel Muammar Gadaffi) — whom the Cairo press now calls the "Madman of Libya” — has set up several bases along the border to train saboteurs for missions in Egypt. In an obvious reference to the Soviet Union, “Al ' Ahram” said advisers from “a major Power” supervised ! the training of the saboteurs ’ and provided them with ’ weapons. 1 The Cairo press reported ’ last week that Russia was massing thousands of tanks i and artillery pieces in the Libyan desert, with Soviet MiG25 jet fighters flying reconnaissance missions from Libyan air fields. Political sources said it

appeared the Egyptian buildup was of a defensi e nature, and did not mean — barring unexpected developments — that war was about to break out between the two countries. The sources recalled a recent statement by President Sadat that he was not prepared to send a single Egyptian soldier outside Egypt as long as parts of the Sinai remained under Israeli occupation. They noted “Al Ahram's” . report" was published on the 1 eve of President Sadat’s de--1 parture for Colombo, Sri 1 Lanka, to attend the nonaligned nations summit, and 1 said it was probably aimed [at discouraging Gadaffi 1 from any "foolish” action during his absence. On Sunday, a Libyan agent exploded two bombs in a Government building in Cairo, wounding himself and 14 others.