Arab World Hails Its First Satellite

Arab nations hailed the successful launch of the Arab world’s first communications satellite, and some of them warned Israel to stay off their broadcast frequencies.

The Qatar state radio and the leading Saudi Arabian newspaper, Al Riyadh, quoted Arab officials Saturday as saying they seek to “limit the damages” of a rival Israeli satellite scheduled to be placed next year in an orbit near the Arab satellite, known as “Arabsat.”

Arabsat and a Brazilian communications satellite were put into orbit early Saturday by a European Ariane rocket launched from Kouri, French Guiana.

Persian Gulf radio stations and newspapers said that Arabsat, first contemplated after the Arab world became aware of a technological gap during the Six-Day War of 1967, heralds “a new era in Arab communications.”