“Egypt Will Fight Again”

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28129, 19 November 1956, Page 11

“Egypt Will Fight Again”

In Amman today, an Egyptian Embassy spokesman said that Egypt would start to fight again if the British, French and Israeli forces refused or delayed their withdrawal from the Suez Canal Zone, the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza strip. The statement came as the Jordanian daily newspaper “Falstin” said in a front-page leading article that Egypt would resume the war if “the aggressors do not withdraw” and would be supported by “her freedom-loving friends”—the Soviet Union and China.

“The result will be either another Korea in the Middle East or a third world war,” the paper said. “Pravda” today accused the British, French and Israelis of delaying the withdrawal of their troops. “Such a situation.” it said, “may lead to the further exacerbation of the international situation.”

The Egyptian armed forces were remaining in a state of preparedness, Cairo newspapers said today. They did not criticise the entry of the United Nations emergency force. Several said that the force was arriving under conditions ensuring Egypt’s sovereign rights.

The Government newspaper. “Al Gomhouria,” said that although the foreign forces had not withdrawn, there were “elements in our favour." Three Swiss airliners carrying 153 Scandinavian soldiers of the United Nations force left Naples for Egypt today on the third day of the airlift from Naples to Abue Sueir, near Ismailia. The first plane carried 59 Danes and four Norwegians, the second 77 Norwegians. and the third aircraft had on board 13 Norwegians and eight tons of equipment. The airlift has settled down to a regular schedule, transporting about 150 troops a day with their equipment. There were tonight 266 Danes, 350 Canadians and seven Norwegians waiting in the Naples staging area. Four Jugoslav military aircraft will shortly fly directly from Belgrade to Egypt with troops for the United Nations force.

A 50-strong advance party of India’s 700-man contingent to the force arrived at Naples by air earlier today. They flew the 3600-mile, 20-hour trip from Agra. India, in two Globemaster United States Navy troop-carriers. Mr Hammarskjold spoke to the advance guard of the force on his arrival in Egypt. He said: “I want to congratulate you on being part of the force of the first of its kind in the world, because people are coming from all over the world offering to serve those principles on which the United Nations was founded.

“I trust your example will give us one day a’ world order of which all of us are truly proud.’’ In New York, Major-General E. L. M. Burns, the Canadian commander of the force, said that he was “deeply gratified by the rapid progress" and smoothness with which the first troops had been sent to Egypt. General Burns was asked at the airport if he thought the presence of the United Nations troops in Egypt would serve to maintain peace in the Middle East until a final determination by the United Nations. “That and a few other things," he replied.