The Armorers of Araby

THE MIDDLE EAST The Armorers of Araby When France's President Georges Pompidou journeys to Washington next month, he hopes to thaw the chill in Franco-American relations caused by the policies of his predecessor. Last week, however, Pompidou's government took a step that will make the thawing more difficult. France agreed to sell 50 Mirage supersonic jets to Libya, a move that may well complicate efforts to avert a new Middle East war by maintaining a balance of arms between Israel and the Arab states.

Even as U.S. Ambassador Sargent Shriver was talking about France's growing arms sales to the Arab states with Foreign Minister Maurice Schumann, a purchasing mission from Libya's revolutionary government was bustling around Paris. The Libyans came to conclude negotiations that had been instigated by Pompidou himself. First reports had it that Libya would buy 50 Mirages and 200 heavy AMX-30 tanks in a $400 million transaction. When Shriver expressed U.S. concern over these numbers, the French deliberately misled him. They told him that the figures were exaggerated; the deal, worth closer to $20 million than $400 million, would include no more than 15 Mirages and "most probably" no tracked vehicles at all. Only after the agreement had been concluded and the Libyan delegation had left for home did the French reveal that the 15 Mirages were merely an initial shipment and that 35 more would follow.

Frozen Out. Abruptly, the U.S. attitude toward the affair shifted from what one State Department official described as "interest" to "concern." To be sure, that concern was prompted not solely by the possible impact of the sale on the Middle East arms race, but also by some purely commercial considerations. Both the U.S. and the British hope to make arms deals of their own with the Libyans. Partly in order to salvage those deals, the two countries readily agreed last month when Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's new leader, demanded that they surrender air bases granted during the reign of King Idris.

When the King was deposed, the British were dickering to sell Chieftain tanks and a $336 million antiaircraft missile system to Libya; the missile sale has since been canceled, but negotiations are continuing on the tanks. In a $15 million transaction, the U.S. had already sold the King ten F-5 jet fighters--three of which have since been cracked up by inexperienced Libyan pilots--and had hoped to sell ten more. Partially, therefore, the U.S. complaint seemed to be that Pompidou was freezing it out of some profitable dealings. The French indicated that they consider the planes defensive and thereby properly salable. According to Defense Minister Michel Debre, the French government "will not sell offensive arms to any nation that practices a policy of aggression." The U.S., however, maintains that 50 Mirages can hardly be considered merely defensive, especially since Gaddafi has struck a military arrangement with Egypt and Sudan and voiced Libyan enmity to Israel. Moreover, an air force augmented by so many fighter-bombers could go a long way toward making Libya considerably more aggressive.

After the Six-Day War of 1967, Paris imposed an arms embargo on what it calls "the countries of the battlefield" --Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Syria. The embargo, however, has become increasingly selective. Israel, at one time France's best arms customer, has been totally cut off--at least officially--since its commando raid on the Beirut airport last January. The Israelis did man age to spring seven speedy gunboats out of France, with the complicity of some French officials, but they have been unable to pry free 50 Mirages for which they paid $67 million. At the same time, France continues to deal openly with at least one Arab combatant. Iraq has troops stationed in Jordan fighting Israel, but an Iraqi freighter is now sailing home with French ammunition loaded at Cherbourg. In other sales, France has provided jet trainers and rifles to Algeria, trainers, radar and torpedo boats to Tunisia and artillery to Saudi Arabia. Negotiations with Morocco will begin at midyear. France argues that the Arabs are bound to buy from someone; better in that case from a Western ally than from the Soviet Union, which has been their chief armorer since before the Six-Day War.

Despite its continued interest in earning a dollar from Middle East arms missions, the U.S. rejects France's arguments. What bothers it most, apparently, is the size of the French sales. American officials argue that the Arab countries can easily circumvent the clause in their contracts that prohibits transfer of arms to a third party without Paris' approval. The U.S. may have a point. At last month's Arab summit in Rabat, Morocco reportedly offered to provide Egypt with 70 of its 100 French-built AMX-13 tanks.

During a visit to Washington last September, Israel's Premier Golda Meir brought along a shopping list that included Phantom and Skyhawk jets and ground-to-air missiles (Israel last week claimed to have downed two Egyptian fighter-bombers over Sinai with such U.S.-made missiles). Hoping to halt the arms race, the U.S. pigeonholed the order. Considering the French action, however, Pompidou may well be told when he reaches Washington that the U.S. will move to restore the balance by taking another look at Mrs. Meir's lengthy list.

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