NASSER GIVES INTERVIEW

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28324, 9 July 1957, Page 16

NASSER GIVES INTERVIEW

U.S. Pressure On Egypt Claimed

(N.Z. Press Association Copyright) NEW YORK, July 7. President Nasser said today that the United States must stop trying to put pressure on Egypt if relations between the two countries were to improve, the United Press reported from Cairo. It quoted President Nasser as saying that the Eisenhower doctrine for the Middle East was not acceptable to Egypt because it had political strings attached. But he said other Arab Governments had the right to ’ accept if they wished.

“We are ready to do anything (to improve relations) except give up our independence and sovereignty,” President Nasser said in an interview with the United Press.

He challenged Mr Eisenhower’s statement that the recent delivery of three Soviet submarines to Egypt had created an unhealthy situation in the Middle East. “We buy arms only to defend ourselves against aggression . . . these weapons will be used for the defence of our coasts,” he said.

He refused to say whether Egypt would buy more Soviet arms.

He said that for the sake of peace Egypt would continue to permit the United Nations Emergency Force to operate m Egyptian territory, even though Israel refuses to allow it on the Israeli side of the EgyptianIsraeli frontier. Right to the Canal Egypt would accept in advance a ruling by the International Court of Justice on the right of Israeli ships to use the Suez Canal if Israel would accept the decision as binding too. It still was too early to say whether Egypt ever would recognise Israel as a State, he said. Predicting that Egypt’s relations with Britain and France would return to normal, he said the Bank of France already had approached Egypt for talks on economic relations and they probably would take place soon. Talks with the British probably would start in Rome about July 24. Speaking of Jordan, President Nasser said the United States Secretary of State (Mr Dulles) was trying to find an excuse when he said the United States had to help Jordan because Egypt and Syria had not fulfilled their commitments.