SUEZ CANAL SHIPPING

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26477, 19 July 1951, Page 7

SUEZ CANAL SHIPPING

British Complain To U.N.

LONDON, July 17. The British Government has decided to introduce a resolution to the Security Council of the United Nations complaining of the Egyptian Government’s Interference with shipping in the Suez Canal, says the diplomatic correspondent of “The Times. The resolution .has been confidentially circulated to other members of the council, and it is known to have the support already of France and the Netherlands, at least, In Cairo to-day, the Secretary-Gen-eral of the Arab League (Azzam Pasha) said that Israel’s vital interest in Arab oil was the main reason for the crisis between Britain and Egypt. "We are all greatly surprised that a question primarily concerning Jewish interests in Palestine should have become such a menace to British and Egyptian -relations and may bring about a clash that may have far-reach-ing consequences in the Arab and Moslem world/’ he said. The crisis arose from Israel’s insistence on maintaining the Haifa refinery. With the support of all the Arab states the Iraq Government had agreed to stop the flow of oil from the pipeline to Haifa, and agreed to contribute to the cost of transferring the refinery to a more suitable place where oil would flow through an Arab country to the Mediterranean. Jews in Palestine, however, wanted Arab oil in spite of the Arabs, and against their interests. They had always attempted to use British diplomacy to secure that end/ in this case by having Israel-bound petrol tankers pass through the Suez Canal. He said that there were only two possible victories in the near future—“A victory of Arab Nationalism, or if defeated, a victory for international Communism.”

The Empire Roach Incident was the indirect result of Egypt’s faithfully maintaining her obligations to the Arab States.

“Al Misri,” a leading Arabic daily newspaper, stated to-aay that Egypt had acceded to Britain’s request that five British Ministry of Transport ships, commissioned to supply the British garrison at Akaba, should be considered Royal Navy ships. They would, therefore, be feed of navigational restrictions. They are understood to include the Empire Roach.

£2OO Damages Sought A Foreign Office spokesman Said "today that Britain has asked Egypt for £2OO compensation for damage and pilferage aboard the Empire Roach when the Egyptians stopped and boarded her in the Gulf of Akaba on July 1. The Government so far had not received a reply to its official protest to Egypt about the incident. The captain’s official report, quoted by . the Foreign Office to-day, revealed that when members of the crew were locked below, their personal belongings were pilfered. When the captain complained to the Egyptian corvette commander i they were returned, but paint, ropes, and other ship’s fittings worth £2OO taken from the stores were not. The corvette was transferred to the Egyptian Navy from Britain early in 1951.