"Mutual Interests"

As Secretary of Defense Harold Brown wrote Congress last week, Saudi Arabia is prepared to guarantee formally that any F-15s it purchases will never be transferred to another Arab state for use against Israel. Crown Prince Fahd made that commitment public in his own words in a TIME interview with Cairo Bureau Chief Wilton Wynn that ranged over many aspects of the proposed plane sale. Said Fahd:

"American arms sales are always linked with guarantees that they will not be transferred to other parties, and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia honors those guarantees. Furthermore, transfer of sophisticated weapons from one party to another is not an easy matter. A highly advanced jet like the F-15 is not like an automobile that any driver can handle. These planes require a long period of training for pilots and many other complicated preparations, which make them difficult to transfer from one army to another."

Why would the kingdom of Saudi Arabia need a weapon as sophisticated as the F-15? "Saudi and American experts together prepared the list of our arms needs, and the two reached a joint decision that the F-15 is the most appropriate element of defense for Saudi Arabia." Those defense needs are closely related to the geographical facts of life for a country with "vast territory, long borders and natural wealth."

Fahd insisted that the F-15 would not be used as an offensive weapon: "Our military situation as a whole is based on a particular defensive strategy. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has never been known to commit aggression against anyone. Furthermore, in meeting its defense requirements, Saudi Arabia lags behind other countries in this region. We sincerely believe our efforts should be concentrated on development and our potential should be used for promoting the prosperity and happiness of our people. That is why we were late in building up our military capabilities."

Would Saudi Arabia give directly to Israel a guarantee about restrictions on use of the F-15s if it received a reciprocal guarantee of some sort from Jerusalem? "We have learned from experience that Israel does not respect whatever guarantees it gives. Their recent invasion of south Lebanon, while using the most destructive American weapons, is a proof of what I say."

The Prince declined to call the F-15 issue a test of U.S. reliability as an ally, but he did note the "mutual interests" of the two countries. "We believe we have legitimate defense requirements. We expect that these requirements will be accepted and understood by all our friends, especially the U.S., with which we have longstanding traditional relations, always based on the mutual interests of the two countries. Frankly, a positive attitude by the American Congress toward the sale of F-15s to Saudi Arabia will be regarded as proof of the continuity and strengthening of relations between our two countries."

Fahd also refused to link Saudi policy on the dollar and oil prices with the aircraft sale, but he was critical of Washington for failing to cope with America's energy problems. "We will do our best to help the U.S. and our other friends in meeting their requirements and overcoming whatever difficulties they may have in this respect. As you know, we decide on the quantity of our oil production according to world need. But the so-called energy crisis is not necessarily connected only to the volume of oil production. For example, the U.S., the largest oil-consuming nation in the world, so far does not have any national energy policy. So far as we are concerned, we are always willing to participate effectively in solving any so-called energy crisis, but we cannot shoulder all the responsibility."

What if the F-15 deal fell through? The Prince answered obliquely: "We believe we have legitimate requirements for defense, and we are certain that we have always behaved like good friends to the American people. Quite naturally, we expect that the American people reciprocate our good feelings and translate this into action. The final decision. however, is left to the makers of American policy."

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