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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 February 1999 Issue No. 417 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 February 1999 Issue No. 417
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Special Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Desert Fox warning
By Galal Nassar
High-level US-Egyptian military negotiations were held this week in Cairo upon the arrival last Saturday of General Anthony Zinni, commander-in-chief of the US Central Command. He was received by President Hosni Mubarak and held intensive talks with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and minister of defence and military production, and with General Magdi Hetata, chief of staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces. The negotiations focused on possible avenues of cooperation between the US Central Command and the Egyptian Armed Forces.
General Zinni during the press conference
At a press conference attended by Egyptian military correspondents on Sunday, Zinni warned the Iraqi leadership that, if it continues to confront US warplanes in the no-fly zones, the US will consider delivering a total air strike similar to Desert Fox. Zinni said US warplanes would continue to attack Iraqi air defence positions in the no-fly zones in the north and south of the country. General Zinni said the imposition of the no-fly zones was in conformity, not in conflict, with UN Security Council resolutions, as well as being the only way to protect the Kurds in the north and the Shi'ites in the south from Saddam's war planes.
According to Zinni, the no-fly zones also serve as a preemptive warning system if the Iraqi regime decides to invade Kuwait once again. He added that there were no plans to bolster the Iraqi opposition, but efforts are being made to prepare all factions inside and outside Iraq for a change representing all the religious communities and other groups in Iraq.
Zinni denied that the US had tested several new weapons in Operation Desert Fox or in its ongoing strikes against missile bases. Certain weapons, however, like the B-1 strategic bomber, which carries nuclear warheads, had been adapted to take part in current operations. The B-1 was adapted to carry conventional bombs after the end of the Cold War, and was used in Desert Fox and other operations. But this, he argued, did not constitute a trial of new weapons.
General Zinni said Iran still posed a threat in the Gulf despite the moderation of Mohamed Khatami. He warned that, if Iran continues to develop its naval, missile and nuclear capabilities, it will eventually constitute a great and permanent threat to the region. General Zinni said US forces had no intention of staying in the region indefinitely; he argued that the Central Command hoped to bring about stability and was searching for means to reduce the number of US troops. He denied that the Central Command had tried to force the Yemeni leadership to provide it with permanent bases in the region. He admitted, however, that the Command was attempting to obtain facilities in local air and naval bases which it could use "when the need arose".
General Zinni said the US Central Command was closely following developments in the Horn of Africa, particularly the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. He noted that the US president had sent his adviser, Anthony Lake, to the region to look into the issue, but so far there were no results. The US forces on the Eritrean coast are monitoring the situation, and are on high alert.
General Zinni said he fully backed President Mubarak's call to clear the region of weapons of mass destruction, and noted that this would bring about stability. He further said that Egypt was a regional power which enjoyed strong and friendly relations with the US, yet denied the presence of any US bases on Egyptian soil.
