Big Three To Meet

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27911, 7 March 1956, Page 13

Big Three To Meet

(Rec. 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Mar. 6. Representatives of Britain, France; and the United States will meet in ; Washington tomorrow afternoon to ’ consider the latest developments in| the Middle East. A State Department spokesman de- ■ acribed the conference as a continua- ; tion of the series of exchanges on the j Middle East, which began with the , talks at the beginning of February | between President Eisenhower and | Sir Anthony Eden, the British Prime Minister. The spokesman. Mr Lincoln White. ' declined to comment on either Jordan's dismissal of General John Glubb from his post as commander of Jordan's Arab Leeion. and also on Britain's recall today of 15 senior British officers in the legion. He said that the United States had informed Syria and Israel that it deplored the latest outbreak of violence ; between the two countries in which , 1 two Israeli policemen were killed in I an encounter with Syrian coastal posi- i ' tions on the Sea of Galilee. Murderer Reprieved.— A Scot due ! i to be hanged next Saturday for mur- i : dering his nine-day-old baby was re- | < prieved today. He is Robert James l < Boyle, aged 24.—Edinburgh, March 5. 1

The Syrian President. Shukri el Kouatly, today began talks in Cairo with the Egyptian Prime Minister. Lieutenant-polonel Nasser, on a wide range of questions, expected to include the American-sponsored Jordan Waters Plan, and the Arab attitude to the west. King Saud of Saudi Arabia is expected in Cairo tomorrow to join the talks. These three nations offered two months ago to provide financial aid for Jordan instead of Britain’s subsidy. Syrian sources have forecast that they will probably shortly consider renewing the offer. R Sir Antnony Eden announced in h.s D - review that Britain was recalling 15 officers from commands in the Arab Legion, after Jordan’s dismissal of Glubb Pasha. The Nicosia correspondent of the “Daily Express’’ said that a number of British officers in the Arab Legion had already been relieved of their commands. Most high-ranking British officers had been peremptorily instructed to hand over their posts immediately to personal nominees of King Hussein, the correspondent reported. 11 The decision to recall top officers from Jordan is seen in London diplos. matic quarters as the first emergency r measure taken by the Eden Cabinet to n meet the situation created by the dis- ?- missal of Glubb Pasha. b By the prompt removal of the Britl“ officers, the British Government y eliminates the danger that in any a future campaign Britain can be held ;- responsible for the strategy of the legion when, in fact, control has passed I- from British hands. X Men Serving Under Contract At the same time it was understood • in London today that Britain was ask--7 ing for the release of senior British executive officers of the legion now e serving under contract with the Jordan Government. y The decision on the British officers and a decision, not fully made public in the House of Commons, on arrangee ments for the protection of British d lives and property in the area should d the need arise, are immediate emergency measures. a A full policy on the new situation, e especially on whether Jordan shall e continue to receive British subsidies :r now amounting to more than ;s £12.000.000 in the current financial ye«:r. and whether previous co-oper-g ation can continue, is not yet believed t- to have been formed. b Sir Anthony Eden made it clear in y the House of Commons that he con>f sidered the dismissal of General Glubb e without prior consultation with Britain to be a breach of the spirit of that >f agreement. o The British Government is expected n to have an answer to the wider policy o question now raised before the matter it is debated in Parliament later this y week. a