MENACING TERMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26540, 15 August 1947, Page 5

MENACING TERMS

EGYPTIAN PRESS ARTICLES UNRESTRAINED ATTACKS (MI BRITAIN Rec. 8 p.m. LONDON, Aug. 14. The Cairo correspondent of The Times says that the tone of most of the Arabic press since the opening of the Egyptian case before the United Nations has become increasingly bellicose and truculent. Articles proclaim that if Egypt’s claims are not conceded there will be a war of small Powers against the great. One newspaper insists that Egypt will purge the Nile Valley of British troops even if opposed by all the countries of the Security Council, while another warns the British that the Egyptians may. lose their ■ patience and start a widespread revolution or guerrilla campaign, “ for which the British alone would be responsible.” There is much more in the same vein. Whether this campaign of menaces is merely calculated to put pressure on Britain and the United States to accede to the Egyptian claims or whether it is evidence of definite intention remains to be proved, but it can be stated that with a strong Premier like Nokrashy Pasha serious disorders could hardly take place unless the Government relaxed its present control of the situation. - The correspondent adds that the two Egyptian groups who in their public utterances most * strongly advocate anti-British violence are the Moslem and the combined youth organisations. The Brotherhood has repeatedly shown a xenophobic character in spite of protestations to the contrary. As for the combined youth organisations, Communist influences are working untiringly among young Egyptians whose patriotic fervour they would gladly turn not only against Britain, but also against ..the Egyptian authorities. In this connection there is reason to believe that the Communists are paying special attention to the Egypian police and are trying to bring about a police strike.