Basic HTML Version
RUSSIA'S MIDEAST
The Soviet Union has discovered what the United
States already knows
-
economic and military
aid does not buy friends and allies. Here is why
Egypt told the Russians: Get Out!
by
Raouf el-Gamma!
T
HE I.AND
of Ero·pr in midsum–
mer is an oven where tempera–
cures soar ro 120 degrees
Fahrenheic day-in and day-our - and
where rempers cend ro ger even hor–
cer.
Lirrle wondcr rhar in July, a good
many werc srunned ro hear of Sadar's
decision
ro
cxpel sorne 15,000 ro
20,000 Soviet advisers. To sorne. it
was expccccd, especial!
y
since che anri–
Communisr ball srarred rolling in rhe
Sudan a year earlicr.
Anti-Communist Upheavals
Ir all began in che Republic of che
Sudan.
Sudan's Prcsidenr since
1969
has
bcen forry-cwo ycar old Majar Gen–
eral Gaafar cl-Numciry. As Jeader of
che ruling Revoluciona!)• Command
Council, he has faced ninc arrempred
coups. In July
1971,
members of rhe
armv elicc which governs chis narion
of
21
million sragcd - undcr Com–
munisr guidance - rhe mosr con–
fusing hor-wearher specracular since
rhc Sudan won independence from
Brirain l6ycars ago.
Thc Moscow-supporred upheavals
of July
l97l
wcrc of major signifi–
cance for onc imporranr reason.
2
Moscow's so-called allies, namely
Eg)rpr and Syria, wcre unflinchingly
agaitzst
rhe Communisc rakcovcr, and,
with che help of Libya, successfully
spearheaded a councercoup rhar
placed anri -Communisr
1:
umeir)'
back in powec.
Ar che onser of rhc arrcmpccd
coup, the Sovier Ambassador ro
Egypr, Vladimir Vinogradov, was re–
poned ro have caJied on Egrptian
Presidenc Anwar Sadar ro urge him ro
support che Communísr rebels. Sadar
is said ro have rcacred
ro
the proposal
angrily, celling che Ambassador rha r
he could
net,er
cake such an acrion.
Hours larer, Boris Ponomarcv, a
secrerary of rhe Soviet Communisr
Pany, mee Sadar in Cairo and again
appealed for supporr for che coup. Sa–
dac replied rhar
ÚJ1llllllmism wo11/d
net•er be accepted in the
.d
rab U'()r/d and
that he wordd /ight it !lllcompromisim;l}.
Tbe Soviet Union was abouc ro lcarn
char Sadat differenriared berween ac–
ceprance of Soviet aid and acceprance
ofCommunism.
The Soviet Union also goc a kick
in ics policical panes from friendl)
Libya. Shortly afrer rhe rakeovcr in
rhe Sudan, chree of che coup leadcrs,
wirh rheir mi litary aides, rook ofT for
•