Basic HTML Version
SADAJ
(Continued from page 4)
tions in sea rch of política! backing
fo r his Mideas t policies and cash
and loa ns for arms· purchases and
national reconstruction. In add ition
to the billions he was promised in
long- term loa ns, he was given hun–
dreds of millions of dollars in
casi!
for a rms purchases.
This ready cash - if not spent in
the United Sta tes - wi ll undoubt–
edly be spent elsewhere. And if Sa–
da t is forced to go elsewhere to
spend his money, military analysts
feel Washington wi ll have lost its
opportuni ty to become the major
arms supp lier to
both
Israel and
Egyp t, a nd wi th it the chance to
evcntua lly
sea/e down
the flow of
arms to the rcgion.
Also, Washington wil l have lost
the accompanying diplomatic lever–
age which would have been va lu–
ab le in o rc hes tr a tin g further
Egyptian-1. rael i peace accords.
Furt hermore, observers point out.
if Sadat does not geL th e quantity
and quality of weapons aid tha t he
desperately nceds - which rea lly
can come from nowhere but the
United Sta tes - his critics in th e
Egyp ti an milita ry and throughout
th c Arab world will have a powerfu l
po li tical wcapon aga inst him, which
could ultima tely resul t in his ouster.
And that could spell disaster for
Amcrica's peacemak ing efforts and
possibly lead to a fu ll-sca le Middle
East war!
With a modera te likc Sadat at th e
helm in Egypt , Syria's wa r-making
potent ial is severely undercut. Da–
mascus could never hope to defea t
th e powerful Israelí army withou t
the assistance of Egypt on the west–
ern front. But shou ld a man of the
samc temperament as Syri a's Assad
or - worse yet - Libya's Qadda fi
take over in Egyp t, war against
Israel would a lmos t be a virtua l cer–
ta in ty.
National Reconstructíon
Though Sadat is despc ra tely seeking
arms. he a rdently hopes they will
never have to be used. As 1 poi nted
out ,ea rli er, another war wou ld be
disast rous to his prime objective of
rebui lding Egypt's war-devasta ted
economy.
The
PLAIN TRUTH
June
1976
Sadat has called upon his people
to copy the example of the Ge rmans
after World War
li
in rebui lding the
na tion. But Egypt. like defea ted
Germany, needs outside aid and
inves tment to puU off her
Wirt–
schaftswunder.
For unlike many of
her Arab neighbors, Egypt has few
proven oil reserve .
Egypt 's reconstruction ta k is an
awesome one. The imbalance be–
tween resources and a fas t-growing
population is a se ri ous obstaclc in
th e drive
to
raise the national stan–
dard o f li ving. The population of
Egypt - a lready the most populous
country in the Arab world - is
growing at a raLe or about
1
mili ion
ayear.
SadaL needs massive fo reign a id
and invesLmenL to furth er modern–
ize the Suez Canal, LO geLindustry
moving. to rcb uild war-dcvasta ted
cities. to assist and expand agricul–
ture, and to improve Lransportation
and communi ca tions.
During ou r conversation. Sada t
to ld me of the agreemcnt by Pcrsian
Gulf nations during hi s recen! visit
Lh ere to raise a substantial fund for
Lhe assistance of the Egyp tian econ–
omy. But while a id from Lhe oil-rich
Arab sta tes is hclpful and appreci–
ated, much more is requircd.
American
a id and pr iva te invest–
menL is grea tly needcd. and Sadat
hopes
to
ee iL on the increase. He
expressed Lo me hi "decpesL graL–
itude Lo the American people, the
Ame rican presiden!. and Lhe Con–
gress for the help they are giving
us."
"1Trust Henry"
Speaki ng of the events which lcd to
the signing of the interim peace ac–
cord with Israel, President Sadat
a lso told me, "We needed someone
we cou ld trust. that is, someone in
whom we could have con.fidence,"
referring to U.S. Secretary of Sta te
Henry Kiss ingcr. SadaLdeclared , "1
trust Henry.''
Regardles of va rying degrees of
public opi nion directed toward Dr.
Kissingcr. hi s own persona l honesty
and inLegriLy we re thc major facto rs
in bringing abouL the present com–
paraLive ca lm in the Sinai . Little did
1 rea lize, at Lha t time, that I would
have Lhc opportunity to convey Mr.
SadaL's sentiments
to
Dr. Kiss inge r
personally wi thi n less than th ree
weeks, when we met briefly in Da l–
Ias, prior to his speech before the
Da li as Council for World Affairs.
Nevertheless, though he places
greaL confidence in the skills of
Dr.
K
issinger, Sada t is enough of a rea l–
isLto acknowledge the fact tha t the
interim peace accord is j ust that. a
Lemporary arrangemen t thaL cannot
last forever withouL further move–
men t. Thus, he stat ed reccnt ly that
"shuttle d iplomacy is dead" and
again emphasized the need for Lhe
Geneva Col'lference at whi ch Lhe
Pa lest inians will be represented .
Lf the United SLates does not rec–
ognize Lhe genu ineness of SadaL's
ex tended hand of fri endship and
fails Lo grasp the opportunity for
vas tly improv ing U.S.- Egyptian re–
laL ions. then SadaL's bold gamble
may noL succeed.
EgypL's needs are primarily those
or the huma n element: the sim ple
necessi tics of food, cloLhi ng, and
shelter for millions living on Lhe
baresL edge of survival. What a piLy
the U.S. ca nnot consider supplyi ng
aid in the form of tractor instead of
Lanks;
in~trucL ion al
equipment in–
s tead o f a irpla nes : agr icu ltu ra !
know- how in place of nuclear reac–
tor ; the equipmen t of pcace and
progrcss ra Lher than the
m
aLériel of
wa r.
Other Considerations
Egypt i buL one elemenL in Lhe
complex Middle EasL equation. De–
sp ite Preside nt Sadat"s laudab le
hopes and dreams and despite Lhe
posi tive U.S. response so far to his
turn to the West. there a re other
important factors a t work in the
Middie East which could override
allthose considcrations.
Bible prophecy indicares thaL one
way or a noth er, the Middle East is
to become the prima ry foca l poin t
of world atte nt ion a nd concern and
the tindcrbox of an eventual confl ict
which is Lo ultimaLely cl ímax in Lhe
prophesied end-Lime battle of Ar–
mageddon.
As
The P/ain Truth
has urged
ove r and over during Lhe past forty
years, keep you r eyes on the Midd le
Eas t! EvcnLs thcre wi ll have a sig–
nificant impact on you r persona l fu –
tu re and on the future of the ent ire
world.
O
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