U.S. Asked To Clarify Policy On U.N. Force

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

U.S. Asked To Clarify Policy On U.N. Force

(Rec. 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, Nov. 18. The Australian and New Zealand Governments yesterday asked the United States for a clarification of its policy on the Middle East crisis, the “New York Times” reported today. The request was made at a meeting of the Australian and New Zealand External Affairs Ministers (Mr R. G. Casey and Mr T. L. Macdonald) with the United States Acting-Secretary of State (Mr Herbert Hoover). The chief of the Washington bureau of the “New York Times,” James Restcn, said the Commonwealth Ministers put this question to Mr Hoover: “Is the United States really trying to establish the United Nations force in Egypt for the purpose of maintaining peace and stability so that a general settlement can. at long last, be negotiated in the Middle East, or is it merely trying to get the British and French out of Egypt no matter what the cost?” Reston said the Australian and New Zealand Ministers agreed with Mr Hoover that the British and French should go, but they insisted that they

should be replaced by the United Nations force for long enough to give the nations a chance to negotiate a durable settlement. "Their argument to Mr Hoover was that, merely to get rid of the British and French and to move the United Nations troops for a short period back along the borders of Egypt and Israel, would do nothing but dramatise the Egyptian Government’s triumph and leave the situation as complicated and as dangerous as before,” Reston reported. • . , , “That is why they, and particularly t\e British and French, are arguing that the United States should really back up the United Nations SecretaryGeneral and make clear that he, rather than President Nasser of Egypt, is calling the tune on the composition, location and duration of stay of the United Nations force. "There was no evidence last night, however, that this argument prevailed with Mr Hoover. He gave the visiting Foreign Ministers the impression that he would do nothing pending the report of Mr Hammarskjold,” Reston said.