On the military front

By Galal Nassar

President Hosni Mubarak met on Monday with Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev, who said he delivered a message from President Boris Yeltsin on bilateral relations and issues of common interest. The meeting, Sergeyev added, dealt with military cooperation between the two countries. He quoted Mubarak as expressing hope that this cooperation would be stepped up and made more effective.

Sergeyev also held talks with Defence Minister Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Magdi Hatata.

According to Reda Shehata, the Egyptian ambassador in Moscow, Sergeyev's visit is part of "continuous consultations" between the Egyptian and Russian leaderships. Shehata pointed out that an envoy of Russian Prime Minister Evegeny Primakov visited Cairo recently to convey a message to Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri. President Yeltsin is expected to visit Cairo in February.

The former Soviet Union was Egypt's principal weapons supplier until the 1973 War, after which Egypt turned to Western sources, particularly the United States. And yet, Soviet weapons and equipment -- which make up more than 50 per cent of the Egyptian arsenal -- continue to function efficiently as a result of careful maintenance and upgrading. Maintenance contracts between Egypt and Russia continue to be concluded as a matter of necessity. Egypt's Russian-made arsenal includes SAM anti-aircraft missiles, T-54 and T-55 tanks, MIG-21 jet fighters and MI-8 and MI-17 helicopters.

Sergeyev's visit followed American press reports that Egypt was buying S-300 anti-ballistic missiles from Russia at a time when the US was attempting to persuade Cairo to buy the American counterpart -- 24 Patriot batteries and 48 Patriot missiles. The American deal would have been part of the annual $1.3 billion US military assistance programme for Egypt. The deployment of the Russian missiles, which are reportedly superior to the Patriots, is said to be a matter of concern for the Americans. Turkey is also opposing their deployment in Cyprus.

Before coming to Cairo, Sergeyev visited Damascus and met with President Hafez Al-Assad, who said their meeting was in line with Syria's policy of "bolstering its defence capability". Syrian officials said the visit was meant to pump new blood into the Syrian army and upgrade its capabilities following an interruption of Russian military assistance in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Significantly, President Al-Assad made a link between the promotion of Syria's defence ability and the establishment of a just and comprehensive peace in the region, that includes Israel's complete withdrawal from occupied Syrian territory.

In Damascus, Sergeyev also met with Defence Minister Mustafa Tlas and Chief-of-Staff Ali Asslan. According to Syrian officials, the talks dealt with "political matters, such as bilateral relations, the regional situation and Iraq, as well as military matters, such as upgrading and modernising the capabilities of the Syrian armed forces."

Syria's military arsenal is predominantly Russian. Moreover, both Moscow and Damascus are eager to deploy S-300 missiles in Syria as a response to the mounting threat of Israel's arsenal of missiles. This threat assumed alarming proportions after Israel signed a strategic security agreement with the United States, in which the latter pledged for the first time to bolster Israel's deterrent capability. The agreement caused concern not only in Syria but also in Egypt because it turned Israel into a Washington ally.

By bolstering Israel's deterrent capability, the US will assist Israel not only in developing the defensive Arrow missile network, but also offensive missiles that will make it possible for Israel to direct telling blows at its foes, even after it becomes the target of a surprise missile attack or an attack by mass destruction weapons. The agreement also opens the door for greater military and strategic cooperation between the US and Israel in countering the threat of unconventional missiles and other weapons of mass destruction.

Russia remains the largest supplier of weapons to the Middle East. Sergeyev's visits followed the publication of the annual 1998/99 report of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, which ranked the Middle East and North Africa as the world's leading importers of weapons. The region's military expenditures rose from $54 billion in 1996 to $56.5 billion in 1997. Israel led the military race, raising its military expenditures from $9 billion in 1995 to $11 billion in 1996.

Dialogue on stability

Eight ships from NATO's Standing Naval Force in the Mediterranean left Alexandria on Saturday following a five-day visit that marked the opening of a strategic dialogue between Egypt and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. NATO is also holding dialogues with five other regional powers -- Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. The Standing Naval Force was led by the flagship USS Deyo.

The American commander, Rear Admiral David Stone, announced the opening of the dialogue at a news conference last Thursday aboard a Canadian destroyer. The aim of this dialogue, he said, is to promote bilateral cooperation "in matters of mutual cooperation" between NATO and the six countries. Representatives from these countries, he added, were invited to observe NATO exercises and attend training courses at the NATO Defence College in Germany.

Stone explained that the Standing Naval Force consists of nine vessels, eight of which are on a Mediterranean tour that includes Israel, Morocco and Tunisia, in addition to Egypt. The ninth vessel, he said, is positioned in the Adriatic.

Stone said that with the end of the Cold War, NATO's objectives have changed completely. NATO's primary foe at present is instability, he asserted. Consequently, the Standing Naval Force has two specific tasks: preserving peace in the Mediterranean and rapid deployment. The aim of its visit to Alexandria is to bolster cooperation as well as peace and stability in the Mediterranean, he added.

Stone dodged a question by Al-Ahram Weekly on whether Israel's possession of mass destruction weapons ran counter to NATO's declared objective of preserving regional peace. He only repeated that the aim of the Mediterranean tour was to serve the cause of peace.

Stone was asked again about North African apprehensions triggered by the establishment of a European rapid deployment force by Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. But he would only say that the two forces, NATO's and Europe's, would cooperate in consolidating peace.