Egypt shifts focus to Israel

Press, 4 December 1985, Page 9

Egypt shifts focus to Israel

NZPA-Reuter Cairo Egypt had signalled an easing of tension on its western frontier with Libya by allowing some troops to take leave, military sources said yesterday. The sources said officers began to rotate on 48-hour home leave for the first time since an armed alert was called 10 days ago after the hijacking of an Egyptian airliner to Malta.

“The start of leave indicates things are slowly returning to normal,” one source said.

Egyptian officials had said that border security was increased after the hijack for defensive purposes. They denied Libyan charges that Cairo was preparing for war. Egypt is now preparing for talks with Israel on the disputed Sinai coastal strip of Taba. The talks resume today for the first time since they were suspended by Cairo in protest against Israel’s air raid against Palestinian targets in Tunis on October 1. The Foreign Minister, Dr

Esmat Abdel-Meguid, yesterday held a session with the Egyptian delegation to the talks, headed by AbdelHalim Badawi, and met the United States team which will attend as observers. Dr Meguid said that Egypt’s position on its claim to the tiny beach resort of Taba was unchanged and that it still insisted that the dispute go to arbitration. On relations with Libya, he said: “We have strong ties with the Libyan people. But the Libyan leadershp has recently launched a

series of operations unacceptable to us.” He mentioned, as examples, an aborted attempt by four Libyan gunmen on November 11 to kill a group of Libyan exiles in Cairo, and the hijack of an Egypt Air plane between Greece and Egypt last month which ended in Malta with 60 deaths. “There is some evidence showing Libyan involvement in the hijacking,” he said without elaborating. Libya has denied any involvement in the hijacking.