ABSTRACT
Upon my return from the Federal Republic of Germany on 23 February 1978, I contacted President Sadat at his residence in Ismailia and he asked me to go and meet him the following morning. He sat with Prime Minister Mamdouh Salem in one of the rest-house rooms, wearing an Arab wool cloak. Conversation centred on the assassination of Youssef El Sibai and the subsequent tragedy at Larnaka Airport. I strongly condemned the dispatch of Egyptian commandos to Cyprus to abduct Sibai’s assassins and bring them to Egypt. I pointed out that, regardless of the success or failure of the operation, it constituted a violation of another state’s sovereignty and was unworthy of Egypt’s position and reputation within the international community. Moreover, I added, Cyprus was a friendly state and the least we should have done was to come to an understanding with it before embarking upon such an operation. The situation was made even worse by its subsequent failure and the poignant tragedy that ensured. Sadat let me talk on, but interrupted me suddenly, shouting: “Should we have allowed them to go on killing us while we looked on?” I answered that the operation had resulted in the loss of eighteen officers and an aircraft as well as the deterioration of our relations with Cyprus. The world at large had also condemned the operation. I added that the question was a very serious one, and that an immediate investigation had to be conducted in order to identify who was responsible for it. To this Sadat replied furiously: “I ordered it!”
