War gear found on plane

HERE’S what was making the headlines in early May as the Falklands conflict drew nearer.

U.S. intelligence has obtained ‘hard evidence’ that sophisticated Soviet-made anti-submarine and other electronics gear has been flown to Argentina from Cuba.

Congressional sources said Secretary of State Mr Alexander Haig had made the disclosure at a closed meeting with a small group of House of Representatives members.

Mr. Haig also told the Congressmen, the sources said, that Cuba has informed the Argentine Government on behalf of both Havana and Moscow that a broad range of other military equipment could be made available to Argentina via Cuba.

A State Department spokesman at first declined to comment on the report, but then denied there was such evidence and that Mr Haig had communicated any such information to members of Congress.

An informed source said the gear was on an Ilyushin-62 plane carrying Cuba’s ambassador to Argentina (Emilio Aragonez Navarro) and 19 other Cubans that was forced to land in Brazil by Brazilian Air Force jets for entering Brazilian airspace after being denied permission to do so.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. government official has hinted that the United States might provide expanded help to Britain at Ascension Island, which would offset Britain’s biggest military disadvantage.

When asked at a briefing about what type of equipment the US might provide under the new pro-British policy announced by Mr. Haig, the official referred to ‘obligations we have in the Ascension Island’.

The U.S. operates a 10,000-foot aircraft runway and maintains fuel tanks on the British-owned island under a 1962 agreement that requires the U.S. to make the facilities available to Britain on request.