Evening star., 1957-04-16
UNDUE 10 Gel
Suez Problem
Again Shortly
BY EARL H. vOss

to be brought before the United
Nations again in the next few
days.
The United States, Britain and
France are expected to decide
today or tomorrow.
The main purpose in going to
the U. N would be to keep
negotiations with Egypt open.
The West is not satisfied with
Egyptian President Canal AbdeI
Nasser's plan for operating the
waterway but three weeks OF
private United States negotia-
tions have failed to change
Egypt's resolve to keep complete
control Of the waterway to her
self.
Pressures Building Up
Several pressures for a United
Nations airing. probably in the
Security Council. are building.
| First, the pressure of competi-
ton on shippers is likely to re-
suit in American and British
vessels using the canal in a day
or two. Neither State Depart
ment nor shipping officials know
of any specific ship planning tc
traverse the waterway, but both
expect several ships to make the
trip in the next day or two. Be-
fore that happens the West hopes
to get>some world recognition OF
the provisional nature of Egypt
operating plan.
Second. President NaSser may
soon make a unilateral declara-
tion outlining his operating plan
Third. the Western nations are
anxious to bring the Suez issue
to the U. N. before the Good
Friday and Easter holidays.
American officials emphasized
that their purpose in bringing
the Suez issue to the United
Nations would not be to censuie
Egypt but to report on the mod
est progress made in Ambassador
Raymond Hare's Cairo converse
tions and to seek a solution tc
the 9-month-old problem of op.
Grating the waterway.
State Department officials be.
lieve 1t would be futile to try u
vote a resolution of censur,
against Egypt because the So,
Wet Union could be expected u
protect her with its veto.
Once the West gets its atti.
tude toward the new Egyptian
operating plan on the record
the United States is understood
to be willing to adjourn Security
Council consideration of the
problem until Egyptian Foreign
Minister Mahmoud Fawzi car
come to New York to represent
his country.
( A U. N. airing might also serve
to bring the pressure Of worlc
opinion to bear on Egypt to gran,
further concessions.
! international Pact Weighed
1 British officials here believe
however. that the United States
holds the principal card. Egypt
faces long-range economic diff.
culties and Britain hopes the
United States will withhold aic
lin solving them until Egypt
makes significant concessions to.
ward international corporation
in running the Suez Canal.
I The United States is still con.
sidering making the Egyptian
operating plan an internationaI
agreement by registering it with
the United Nations. Egypt. how.
ever. is understood to oppose the
idea because this procedure
would allow Israel to become &
party to the agreement.
There is an outside chance
that the General Assembly viii
be called to consider the Sue.
problem rather than the Securit.
Council. The Assembly has ar
interest in the issue, since 1
passed several resolutions on tn,
general subject after the British,
French invasion of the cana
zone last November. The British
nave felt for sometime that tn,
Suez Canal problem should b,
brought before the United Ma
tions for an airing. The French
on the other hand. are under
stood to be less eager for In,
exercise.
Six Principles Stressed
/ One of the problems for Sc,
curity Council consideration
would be to judge if the new
Egyptian operating plan con,
forms to the six principles tn,
Security Council and Egypl
agreed to last October. The,
provided for insulation of thu
canal from the politics of all ma.