N.A.T.O. TOLD OF SOVIET GAINS

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31381, 29 May 1967, Page 13

N.A.T.O. TOLD OF SOVIET GAINS

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) VALETTA, May 28. The Soviet Union is now nearer than ever to achieving its aim of gaining a foothold in the Mediterranean, Admiral Sir John Hamilton, of Britain, told a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation conference in Valetta.

Sir John Hamilton, who early next month retires as Britain’s last Common* der-in-Chief of the Mediterranean area, said yesterday that the Soviet Union had infiltrated into . the United Arab Republic, Algeria and Syria, through economic and technical assistance. It used a “mobile fleet with mobile support on the lines of the American Sixth Fleet,” to support its political and military objectives, he toid the N.A.T.O. council members' conference on the mil-

itary importance of the Mediterranean to N.A.T.O. He said that the Soviet naval presence was nuking a significant contribution to the growing Soviet influence in the area. An average of 2600 merchant ships—23oo of them belonging to allied nations were in the Mediterranean in any day, he said. The presence of the Soviet fleet could bring pressure to bear on sea lines of communication during a period of strained relations.

NA.T.O.'s position in Europe was today being slowly but steadily outflanked by Russia in North Africa and in the Levant, Sir John Hamilton said.