BRITISH FORCE SENT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 76, 10 January 1949, Page 3

BRITISH FORCE SENT

Protection of Red Sea Port RESPONSE TO REQUEST BY TRANSJORDAN (N.Z.P. A.—Copyright). LONDON, January S. The British Foreign Office has announced that the British Government lias acceded to a request by Transjordan to send a British force to the Red Sea port of Akaba. The request was made under the terms of the British- ' .Transjordan Treaty of March, 1948.

A Foreign ’ Office spokesman said Britain had decided to accede to the request because the Transjordan Government had faithfully fulfilled all its obligations under botn the 1946 Bri-tish-Transjordan Alliance and also under the revised treaty of 1948. The matter was a cause of grave concern to the British Government, said the spokesman. Diplomatic quarters in London believed that Transjordan’s decision to invoke the treaty with Britain greatly complicated the prospect of direct' negotiations between Israel and the Arab States for a permanent settlement. The spokesman refused to disclose the size of the British force sent to protect Akaba. He stated, however, that no reinforcements had been sent to other points in the Middle East, either to the Royal Air Force units stationed at Amman (capital of Transjordan) under the 1948 alliance, or to the British troops in the Canal Zone of Egypt under the 1936 BritishEgyptian alliance. He denied that any arms or military equipment had been supplied to the Arab Governments during the period of the Palestine arms embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council. Supplies to the British forces stationed in the Middle East had of course been dispatched in the normal way. The “Sunday Express” says: “ The Foreign Secretary (Mr Ernest Bevin), at a meeting with the British Commonwealth High Commissioners, gave them the latest news about Palestine.

“The British Cabinet is concerned about possible developments and the threatened overrunning of .the Arab States by Israeli forces. The Cabinet’s Defence Committee, which is attended by all the service chiefs, has held many meetings recently and it is possible that the whole strategic set-up in the Middle East may have to be recast.”

Reuter’s diplomatic correspondent says that Mr Bevin is remaining in London over the week-end to maintain instant contact with all developments. y

Israel May Protest to United Nations

“The Israeli Government considers the dispatch of British troops to Transjordan as very serious,” says the British United Press correspondent at Tel-Aviv. “The Jews are expected to place the matter before the United Nations Security Council claiming that Britain’s action damages the prospect of peace in Palestine, and that it is deliberate obstruction of the United Nations’ conciliation attempts. “The Israeli Government is also studying the details of thq shooting down of the five Royal Air Force planes.” The Associated Press correspondent says: “For the last four days Royal Air Force fighters have been patrolling over Transjordan within view of the Southern Palestine battle area. At the same time cargo-carry-ing Dakotas started a daily air lift of military supplies from the Canal Zone to Mafrak and Akaba. This operation is to continue for two weeks.

“The Royal Air Force’s petrol stocks at Amman are also being expanded by overland movements from bases in Iraq.” The British United Press correspondent in Cairo says: “More British troops ancl arms are being sent into the Transjordan Red Sea port, of Akaba after the first units which went there more than three weeks ago. The first troops and materials were landed by a British sloop, a cruiser, and two destroyers, and are reported to have included tanks and armoured cars.”

Reuter’s correspondent at Nicosia (Cyprus) says: “Reports from Amman say that Britain is reinforcing her Air Force strength in Transjordan, and stocks of petrol and ammunition are being built up. British Marine commandos.and air units are standing by at Famagusta, and a number of Lincoln bombers have . arrived at Nieocsia for extensive combined bombing exercises.” The Nicosia correspondent of the “Sunday Times” says: “Large-scale precautionary measures which the Royal Air Force and the Army have undertaken throughout the Middle East have brought an early clash between the British and Israeli forces within, the bounds of immediate possibility. The fact that at least five squadrons of Royal Air Force fighters and transport aeroplanes have been ‘operational,’ with guns loaded for the last five days, speaks for itself.

“Royal Air Force airfields which have been deserted for many months are now back in full operation, and anti-aircraft defences have been strengthened. The largest Royal Air Force--formations seen since the end of the war now regularly fly over Arab countries.”

ANOTHER EGYPTIAN COMPLAINT ISRAELI WARLIKE ACTIVITIES (Rec. 12.10 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 9. 'The United Nations spokesman at Haifa said that Egypt, has submitted ft new complaint, that Israeli forces to-day took up positions between Ratah and El Arisli, on the Egyptian frontier, where, “warlike activities” were continuing.

The spokesman said that observers had been sent to investigate.