TURKISH AND IRAQ PACT
BRITISH DENIAL OF SOVIET CHARGE (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, April 18. The Foreign Office today denied Soviet allegations that it is putting pressure on any Middle Eastern States to join the pact between Iraq and Turkey. Britain welcomes the pact and has joined it, a spokesman said. “We would like other Middle Eastern States to do so also, but it is entirely up to them. We are not putting pressure on anyone to join,” he said.
The spokesman was commenting on Saturday’s statement by the boviet Foreign Ministry accusing the Western Powers of putting pressure on Middle Eastern States to join what it described as an aggressive bloc directed against Russia. In Bagdad today, Mr Musa Shabander, Iraq’s Foreign Minister, said that Iraq negotiated and concluded the pact “free completely of any foreign pressure and according to our free will.”
Mr Shabander said Iraq’s geographical and strategical position and an established foreign thread had convinced them to undertake every measure to guarantee the safety not only of their own territories but the rest of the Arab States and the Middle East area.
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Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27638, 20 April 1955, Page 8
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189TURKISH AND IRAQ PACT Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27638, 20 April 1955, Page 8
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