Carter congratulates Sadat on sending troops to Larnaca

Press, 25 February 1978, Page 8

Carter congratulates Sadat on sending troops to Larnaca

NZPA-Reuter Washington President Carter of the United States has sent a message to President Sadat of Egypt expressing admiration for “the courageous decision’’ to send Egyptian commandos to Cyprus last week-end to try to free hostages—a move that resulted in the death of 15 of the Egyptian troops and a break in Egypt’s relations with Cyprus.

The verbal message was conveyed by Mr Carter through Mr Zbigniew Brzezinski, the National Security Affairs Adviser, to Ambassador Ashraf Chorbal of Egypt who transmitted it to Cairo, according to officials in Washington. Although the State Department was continuing to refuse comment on the Egyptian-Cypriot dispute, Mr Carter decided to give his moral backing to President Sadat, who was described by American diplomats as overwrought with emotion at the unexpected decision by Cypriot forces to fire on the Egyptians as they moved towards the hijacked plane on the Larnaca Airport runway. Officially, Carter Administration officials described the President’s message as one of “condolences” to the Egyptians but it was more than that. Tn the message Mr Carter addressed President Sadat as “Dear friend.” It said: “You have my admiration for the

courageous decision you took. You have my sympathy for the families of the brave men who fell in the common struggle against terrorism. And you have my salute to the participants in this mission.” President Sadat replied to the message, which was sent earlier this week, in warm terms, officials say, thanking Mr Carter for his support. First word of the Carter letter was In the Egyptian press yesterday, and' Washington officials said it I might annoy the Cypriot i Government. But they said I Mr Carter, who has a close rapport with President Sadat, wanted to show his support in this difficult time for the Egyptian leader. This was particularly true, a State Department official said, given the strong criticism of the Egyptian commando action in the Soviet media. Tass, the official Soviet press agency, for instance, has described the Egyptian action as a “disgraceful operation.”

The Soviet press has been reporting extensively the comments critical of the Egyptian moves, in effect lending Moscow’s endorse-; ments to the criticism. i Egypt has launched a\ diplomatic offensive to I explain its side of the I dispute with Cyprus over] the Larnaca gun-battle. Egyptian ambassadors I have worked vigorously to] explain Egypt’s position. President. Sadat has described President; Kyprianou of Cyprus as a political dwarf, and said ] Egypt withdrew its! recognition of Mr Kyprianou' as President. President Kyprianou has] pleaded for a restoration of: relations with Egypt, but; again refused Cairo’s request to hand over the two Arab gunmen who sparked the Larnaca battle. In Cairo, Mr Said Kamal, of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, has said the P.L.O. did not take part in the battle.