Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-11
Nosser Gains Ground


1t seems to us that if any winner"
has emerged from the Suez conference
1t is President Canal Abdel Nasser. Ger
tainly he has not been hurt, and he
probably has strengthened his position.
The members of the unsuccessful
Menzies mission have left Cairo and gone
their respective ways emptyhanded. They
were courteouSly received by President
NaSSer, but he remained unmoved by
their appeals for acceptance of a plan
for international control of the Suez
Canal. AS kind of parting shot of his
own, the Egyptian President has put for
ward a proposal for creation of an inter-
national body to seek peaceful solution
of the Suez question. In this connection
Mr.. Nasser, while insisting on Egyptian
sovereignty, advocates an agreement
which would include (1) freedom of navi-
cation in the canal, (2) improvement of
the canal to meet future needs, and (3)
fair tolls
This is statement that is nicely
calculated to pull the rug from under
those French and British elements which
continue to talk of forcible reoccupation
of the canal zone. For, on its face at
least, it is constructive and conciliatory
in tone. AS long as Mr.. NasSer proposes
freedom of navigation, canal improve
mentS and fair tolls it is silly to talk of
a resort to arms, and the responsible
people in the French and British govern
mentS must know it. Furthermore, as
Stunning that the NaSser proposals have
hoo do IN fotf o1eo
ing that Egypt will be capable of fulfilling
the commitments with respect to the
canal, the French and British have no
grievance that world opinion will recog-
nize as being legitimate Their national
needs require unobStructed and efficient
use of the canal at reasonable tolls. But,
given this, they have no persuasive reason
for demanding international operating
control of the canal.
OF course, the rub is that the French
and the British diStruSt both the good
faith OF President NaSser's professions
and the competence of Egypt to operate
the canal. In addition, they have prestige
worries = the British concerning their
remaining position in the Middle East and
the French with respect to North Africa.
But this is not the stuff that successful
military campaigns can be based on-at
least not in this day and age. 1t looks,
in short, as though President NaSSer holds
the higher cards, and that the French
and British are going to have to play his
game.
There are some further moves that
could be made. One would be to pull the
foreign pilots out of the canal zone. In
this way the flow of shipping could be
crippled, at least temporarily. But it is
hardly in the economic interest of France
and Britain to hamper shipping, and this
strategy certainly would backfire if it
were established that Anglo French in
tereStS had anything to do with pulling
out the pilots. Another possibility lies in
an appeal to the United Nations. This
would provide forum for further airing
of the dispute, but we doubt very much
that there is any legitimate basis on
which the u N. could interfere, and we
also doubt that U. NJ intervention would
have any influence on President NaSSer.
Certainly it would not if the Russians and
the Arab-ASian bloc sided with him, as
they would be likely to do.
The most sensible course, it seems to
us, is for the French and British to keep
on using the canal just as they have done
since it was nationalized on July 26. If
the canal can be kept operating on an
efficient and nondiScriminatory basis, so
much the better In event that it cannot,
or If the French and British really are
convinced that President NaSSer eventu-
ally will discriminate against them they
can begin now to prepare alternative
means OF bringing in the oil and other
products they need. AS a matter of fact,
some such alternative means assuredly
will be needed anyhow as the Vests
demand for oil rises in the future So,
while making the best of bad business
at this time, why not begin to prepare
both for meeting future needs and for
the possibility that Mr.. Nasser, despite his
current assurances, may some day move
to cut the vital Suez lifeline?