TALKS IN BERMUDA

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28231, 20 March 1957, Page 13

TALKS IN BERMUDA

Hope of Middle East Formula

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) NEW YORK, March 19. Many diplomats today looked to the coming Western Big Two talks in Bermuda for a formula from which to seek a Middle East solution.

The idea that the Bermuda talks might help the Middle East situation was also expressed in Washington after the dramatic personal appeal by the Israel Foreign Minister (Mrs Meir) to Mr Dulles—an appeal which was generally accepted to have failed to change Washington's' official stand. The communique issued after their meeting contained no hint of any such shift. It said that Mr Dulles had reaffirmed that United States policy on the Gaza Strip, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Suez Canal continued to be as publicly expressed in statements made more than two weeks ago. A Reuter correspondent in Washington saiji that Israel’s hope, therefore, was that Britain’s powers of persuasion would be strong enough to convince the United States of the need for greater firmness in dealing with President Nasser.

The correspondent said the key questions at issue, from Israel’s standpoint, were these: (1.) Would the United States alone, or in concert with other countries, take any action against Egypt if Egypt sent military forces into the Gaza

Strip? (2.) Would the United States act if Egypt, relying on its technical state of war with

Israel, barred Israeli ships from using the Suez Canal? (3.) What would the United States do if Israeli ships were barred from the Gulf of Aqaba and the Tiran Straits

Neither yesterday’s communique nor State Department officials provided any clear answers to these questions.