PASSAGE THROUGH SUEZ CANAL

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26198, 23 August 1950, Page 7

PASSAGE THROUGH SUEZ CANAL

Britain Protests At New Restrictions

COMPLAINT MADE TO EGYPT

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, August 21. Britain has. protested to Egypt agairist the introduction •of additional restrictions on ships passing through the Suez Canal, a Foreign Office spokesman said to-day. The spokesman said that the British Ambassador to Cairo (Sir Ralph Stevenson) had handed the protest to the Egyptian Government. The new restrictions of which Bri--tain had complained were: - (1) The refusal of port facilities to ships on aq Egyptian black list. (2) A ship’s master would have to give a written guarantee that the cargo would be used in the country of unloading. The guarantee would be countersigned by an Egyptian Consular official at the port of unloading.

The spokesman said that Britain had been in touch with the United States and French Governments about the restrictions. He said that the list of restrictions had been handed to the British Admiralty agent in Egypt. This meant that naval auxiliaries were covered by the new restrictions. Since 1948 the Egyptian Government has maintained a strict embargo on all shioments to Israel through’ the canal. Observers in London said it was hardly possible for a ship’s master to guarantee the destination of his cargo, since that was the responsibility of the company owning or chartering the