The Press THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1957. Arms for Tunisia

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28440, 21 November 1957, Page 14

The Press THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1957. Arms for Tunisia

Deliveries of small arms to Tunisia have caused regrettable and embarrassing differences of

opinion between France on the one hand and Britain and the United States on the other. It is regrettable that after so recently coming through a period of turmoil before her politicians could agree upon a government, France should now be diverted from concentrating on the economic problems that so urgently need attention; and it is embarrassing to have one of the chief North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Powers in conflict with two others virtually on the eve of the meeting of the heads of N.A.T.O. governments. But the prima facie case for acting as Britain and France did is sound. By France’s act, Tunisia is an independent sovereign State, and as such is entitled to arms for policing and for security. Like other sovereign States, Tunisia is entitled to choose its source of supply. Unquestionably, this source would have been France, had the French been agreeable, for the ties between France and its former dependency are close and usually harmonious. But, not for the first time, France’s associations with Tunisia have been upset by troubles in neighbouring Algeria, which the French insist is part of metropolitan France. France contends that arms sent to Tunisia might reach rebellious Arabs in Algeria. Britain and the United

States have been prepared to accept assurances of the Tunisian Government. There might be more substance in French fears that what could be interpreted as British and American support for Tunisian nationalism might strengthen Arab intransigence in Algeria. It appears that the British and American decision was precipitated by pressure by Egypt on Tunisia to accept arms. The story of Egyptian pressure is another part of the whole episode that has not been fully told. A serious attempt to gain a footing on North Africa’s western seaboard and to squeeze Libya would be consistent with President Nasser’s ambitions to bring the whole Arab world under the domination of Cairo.

It was perhaps inevitable that the attention of the French public should be drawn to the deep Sahara by the controversy. This is part of Tunisia’s hinterland, as well as of Algeria’s. Allegations that supplying small arms to Tunisia is part of a British-American plot to steal potential Saharan oil deposits from France are surely farfetched. If measures to exploit Saharan oil are to be effective, France will need American and British financial support in precisely the same way, and on the same large scale, that the security of France and of Tunisia and Algeria, for that matter—depends greatly on the same two nations.