Word: libyans
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While continuing to fight for the Saudi deal on Capitol Hill, the Administration also moved rapidly to send a strong signal of support to both Egypt and its beleaguered neighbor, the Sudan, which is threatened by the presence of 7,000 Libyan troops in nearby Chad. After conferring in Cairo with Mubarak and Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiri following Sadat's funeral, Secretary of State Alexander Haig announced that the U.S. would speed up the delivery of arms already promised to Egypt and the Sudan. In addition, Washington last week dispatched two AW ACS planes from the U.S. to Egypt...
There are hazards and limitations to all the new U.S. initiatives. Next month's display of military muscle may have scant effect on Libyan attempts to cause trouble in Egypt and the Sudan. U.S. support for Mubarak must strike a careful balance so as not to cast him as little more than a U.S. puppet, imperiling his fledgling hold on his country. The U.S. may also have difficulty delivering on its weapons promises, for the Pentagon has few arms to spare. Both M60 tanks and air defense missiles, for example, are in short supply...
...Administration is working to combat the far more insidious threat of Libyan subversion of the Sudan. It is trying to prop up the country's faltering economy by offering $100 million in nonmilitary aid this year and enlisting financial help from other nations, especially Saudi Arabia, and the International Monetary Fund. The strategic importance of the Sudan is undeniable: the country controls the headwaters of the Nile. Says one State Department official: "If the Sudan falls, Egypt follows...
...both Egypt and its southern ally, the Sudan. Furthermore, said Haig, the U.S. would take part next month in a "very extensive joint military exercise" with Egyptian forces. The Pentagon also sent out two AW ACS planes to patrol the skies of Egypt and the Sudan against possible Libyan attack, and was considering a bombing run on Egyptian desert targets by U.S. B-52 bombers...
...make peace with Israel. Beyond that, he had transformed Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, from a Soviet client to a steadfast U.S. friend. Under Sadat, Egypt played many pro-American roles besides rapprochement with Israel: it was a buffer and counterweight to the pro-Soviet and pro-terrorist Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi to the west; guardian of the Sudan to the south; defender of the Suez Canal; indispensable base and staging area for any U.S. forces that might have to be rushed to the Middle East to protect the Persian Gulf oilfields...