1.
GV EXTERIOR A.S.U. Headquarters
0.03

2.
SV Sadat arrives in motorcade
0.14

3.
SV Banner
0.16

4.
SV Sadat out of car and greeted by Dr. Ghanem, ASU First Secretary and other officials
0.24

5.
SV INTERIOR Sadat seated with Dr. Hegazi, Minister of Finance
0.29

6.
SV Officials look on
0.30

7.
SV Sadat seated with Mr. Hatem, Minister of Information
0.37

8.
GV INTERIOR Auditorium guests seated
0.40

9.
SV General Isamil greets officials and takes seat
0.46

10.
SV Delegates seated
0.50

11.
LV PAN Sadat enters auditorium and mounts rostrum
1.07

12.
SV PAN From Officials to Sadat seated
1.20



Initials SC/318 SC/348



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Egypt's President Anwar Sadat on Thursday (18 April) called for a summit meeting with Soviet leaders, and announced that Egypt had begun to buy arms from other countries than the Soviet Union.

President Sadat was presenting a working paper on Egypt's development over the next 25 years at a closed meeting of the National Legislature of the Arab Socialist Union -- Egypt's only political party.

The President said Egypt was re-shaping its international relations and seeking a neutral path between Communism and capitalism. He said "We do not befriend America at the expense of the Soviet Union, and we will not befriend the Soviet Union at the expense of America. Whoever offers us the hand of friendship, we offer him the hand of friendship in return."
president Sadat revealed that the Soviet Union had failed to deliver some weapons he had been requesting during the past six months. He said he had sent four messages about the requests to Moscow and had been told twice that his requests were under study.

The Egyptian President said Egypt could not "stand with our hands tied for six months and leave our forces unprotected". But he did not disclose Egypt's new sources of arms.

Before his speech, President Sadat submitted to A.S.U. leaders a document outlining his ideas on the tasks facing Egypt in the next 25 years. The document calls for "drawing a new map of Egypt" and gives priority to reconstruction of the war-battered Suez towns.

It was approved unanimously by the A.S.U. and will be put to a national referendum at some future date.