Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-02
REVIEW OF THE WEEK
Suez: Talks and Troops

The Middle East pot was boiling
more furiously than ever last week.
with most Of the heat supplied by
the continuing crisis over the
naturalization of the Suez Canal.
Chief developments in the worlds
prime trouble spot were:
. E,gypt's militant President
Canal Abdel Nasser formally
agreed Tuesday to meet tomorrow
with the five-nation delegation
chosen at the London conference
to present a United States plan
to put the canal under interna-
tional operation.
. On the same day, Col. Nasser or
dered the expulsion from Egypt of
two British diplomats accused of
participation in an alleged British
spy ring Two other BritonS and
four Egyptians had been arrested
as agents of the ring, which the
Egyptian government charged was
also aimed at the overthrow of
Vic 1NdooCA lCSAllACs DAAVdAA AOAAASA
the Cairo charges and in retalia-
ton expelled two Egyptian embassy
attaches.
. French troops and naval units
were stationed on the island of
Cyprus, within striking distance Of
the Suez Canal. linking French and
British forces in a continuing mill
tary buildup. French fleet units,
including major aircraft carrier.
cruisers and destroyers, left Toulon
for undisclosed destinations.
. Violence was again loosed on
Cyprus. where the National Organ
ization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA)
ended a brief cease-fire after
Britain officially charged that
exiled Archbishop Makarfos, Eth
march of Cyprus and leader in the
movement for union with Greece,
had personally directed terrorist
activities.
. In Paris, the Permanent Council
of the North Atlantic Treaty Or
ganization was summoned to meet
Wednesday to consider the Suez
dispute.
No Strings Attached
Col. Nasser, in agreeing to meet
with the delegation from the five
nation special committee on the
Suez Canal, attached no conditions
to the meeting. The delegation,
on which the United States. Aus
tralia. Iran, Sweden and Ethiopia
are represented, will explain the
American internationalization pro-
poSal to Col. NaSser and seek his
agreement to further negotiations
on such a basis.
On Tuesday. Secretary of Safe
Dulles at his press conference ex-
pressed hopefulness that solution
could be reached on Suez. Mr.. Dulles
tried valiantly to play down the
'internationalizatio aspect. He
said he wanted to avoid the word
because he did not want to use
these grandiose terms which Gre
ate conflicts which are perhaps I'M
necessary.
His remarks were plainly indica-
tive that the Big Three wished to
provide Col. NaSser with a face
saving '"out." Noting that the de-
sire of all concerned was the oper-
alton of the waterway and its ia
cilities Fin an efficient and impair
tial way, free from the political in
tiuence of any government. :"
Mr., Dulles went on: g. =. You may
get result which some people
may call international operation
and other people may prefer not
to call it that"
But Mr.. Dulles also described the
Suez Canal as "internationalized"
by the treaty of 1889 (the Con-
stantinople Convention. Later, in
reply to a question. he repeated
that "basically the canal is inter-
nationalized by the treaty of 1885,"
Next day the tactics of de-
emphasis on the term "interna-
tional" failed again. President
Eisenhower, after long meeting
with Mr.. Dulles and Admiral Arthur
w. Radford, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, appealed for world
support of the London Conference
proposal. Expressing pleasure that
Col. Nasser had agreed to discuss
the plan, Mr.. Eisenhower then re-
peated the substance Of Mr.. Dulles
remarks on the need for efficient
operation of the canal. He said
the London Conference had agreed
on conditions indispensable
to give confidence that this water