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Ali Sabry." Sadar is said co have re–
corred : "Al! Egyprians Jiked N ikira
Khrushchev." The !are
Mr.
Khrush–
chev was removed from office in Oc–
rober
1964,
parrly because he made
major Soviet aíd commitmcncs ro
Egypr wichour consulting his Krem–
lin collcagucs.
The Kremlin's over-hasry support
for rhe arrempted Kharcoum coup
once agaín illusrrares rhe difficul ríes
che grear powers have in maínraining
rheir posirions in an Arab world
plunged inro a srare of permanenr
turmoil.
Ir is significanr char Numeiry, ar
rhe time, risked a complete splir wirh
the Soviet Union, bis chief source of
weapons and economic assistance, by
execuring
14
alleged ringleaders of
the aborrive coup. He is vehemenrly
resiscing any suggesrions of rccon–
ciliarion wich rhe Communiscs. The
Soviet Un ion knew chat if
it
halred
its economic and milirary assisrance
ro rhe Sudan, ir would be cisking a
dererioracion of relacions with Cairo.
This is exacrly whac happened!
Communist Parties Banned
Throughour rhe Middle Easr, the
Communisr Party is illegal excepr in
two nations - Lebanon and, ironi–
cally, Israel. Superficially, mosr Arab
srares may look Jike perfecr rargers for
Marxisr-Leniníst exploirarion. The
area is in consranr upheaval; che na–
rions are very poor and are alienated
from Westero naríons.
Bur rhar is only a surface observa–
cien. Psychologically, Arabs make
poor converrs ro Communism. Faral–
iscic
(eflahin
(peasanrs) of che villages
are coo conservarive and too sreeped
in che fslamic fairh ro accepc Com–
munism. Ic is rrue rbat Arab narions
have become increasingly dependenr
on rhe Soviet Union for aid - in the
hopes rhar rhey mighr be able ro re–
srore a new era of Mohammed the
Propher. Bur rhe Arabs are purring
rheir weapons ro very revealing uses.
The Arabs are caking weapons
from che communisric Soviet Unioo
6
co
kili off
local
Communists. Thus it
is quite apparenr rhar Soviet weapons
in che Middle Easc have hardly beco
effecrive in rheir inrended purpose. In
orhcr words, rhe Soviets have been
defearing cheir own purpose.
The Sovier Union, up ro now, has
been willing ro sacrilice a few IocaJ
Arab Communisrs in rerurn for
broader geographical gains for irself.
lc was a cynical rrade-off, bur given
che arrirudes of rhe Arab world, ir
was che only ava.ilable roure for
Moscow.
Ir was believed in sorne circles rhar
che only real use rhe Arabs had for
the Soviet Union was in conneccion
wirh che Arab-Israeli conflicr. Now
char che Soviets refuse ro supply
Egypr wirh the offensive weapons it
needs
to
wage a war, rheir useful ness
has ended. Russia will find irs in–
fluence in che area decreasing ar a far
grearer rare rhan ir was arrained.
Many Arab Ieaders have nor for–
gorten rhar, 25 years ago, che Soviet
Union and rhe Communist Parry
ap–
proved
tbe parririon of Palesrine and
granred recognition ro che srare of Is–
rael, a move rhac Arab Jeaders desper–
arely opposed.
Ir is a political facr thar Moscow's
posirion in rhe Arab counrries has
never been as secure as che Soviet
Union's invesrmenr in arms, advisers
and aid mighr warranr.
Soviet Ob jectives
Napoleon said char Egypt was rhe
gareway ro rhree conrinenrs. This ob–
ser\rarion has noc gone unnoriced by
rhe Russians. Their objecrive -
somerimes polirically sugar-coared -
is ro control Egypt and orher Arab
governmenrs direcdy through Com–
munisr regimes or indirecrly by eco–
nomic or milirary dependencc. Their
prime considerarion is ro ousr rhe
Unired Srares from che Arab world
and ro cur off Europe's oil suppJy,
which comes from or rhrough che
area. This is a flanking movemenc
which rhey hope will make rhe
United Srares a secondary power and
force Europe ro deal wirh Commu–
nisr-supporced regimes.
These motives explain why rhe
Russians pur up wirh all che insulrs
rhey receive ar rhe hands of rhe Arab
governmenrs, their so-cal led allies.
Europeans to
Fill
Vacuum?
"Nacure abhors a vacuum," said
che phi losophers, and obviously sorne
power has
ro
fill rhe vacuum creared
in Egypr by rhe deparrure of che Rus–
Slans.
The Wesrern Europeans are, con–
sequenrly, beginning ro gain a foor–
hold in che Middle Easr. Wicness rhe
consorrium of Wesrern European na–
rions presendy bargaining for che
building of che Egyprian "Sumed"
pipelines from Suez ro Alexandria.
The projecr wiU cosr approximately
30 percenr of whar it cose rhe Rus–
sians ro build che Aswan High Dam.
Ir was che Aswan Dam assisrance that
pur rhe Soviers solidly inro rbe
Middle Easr scene. The pipeline may
do rhe same for rhe Europeans.
There are orher developmenrs
which retlect growing European inter–
ese in rhe area.
France is becoming very popular in
the Middle East. French tourists have
flooded Egypr and orher North Afri–
can councries, noc ro menrion che 110
Mirage jers rhey are selling ro Libya.
Brirain is even considering suppl}'ing
Egypt wirl1 jecs and warships. Sir Alee
Douglas-Home, Brirain's Foreign Scc–
rerary, visired Egypt in Seprember
1971.
This was the firsr such visir by a
British Foreign Secrerary since che
1956
Suez crisis.
In che MiddJe East, a land of con–
stanc turmoil , anyrhing could happen.
Ir is very likely rhat Egypr wi
11
rurn
ro Europe and even che Unired Srares,
jusr as rhe Sudan has done. (Sudan
has jusr recenrly resumed diplomacic
relations with che Unired Staces, bro–
ken off during che Six-Day War.)
Even rhough Sadar has been ralk–
ing a lor abour war, manv Egyprians
believe ir is on ly a diversionary ractic
ro soorhe che hawkish elemenrs in rhe
army, who wam war even chough
PLAIN TRUTH December 19 72