Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-08-03
HALF IN, HALF OUT-
Conference Plans
Toke Clearer Shape

west was assuring Tor Itself VIZ
tualiy full control.
In the realm Of ideas. the West
Is In a much stronger position
than Il was a week ago.
The election IN Lebanon eases
the immediate crisis there. and
may pave the way for an early
American troop withdrawal. Rec
ignition Of the new regime In
Iraq BY n widening circle OF coun-
tries. including members Of the
Baghdad pact. cuts the group
from under Mr.. Khrushchev's
professed fear Of foreign-spon-
sored counter-revolution there,
with world war developing as q
result.
These two subjects-American
Intervention In Lebanon and the
alleged danger Of war over Iraq-
were 10 have been Mr.. Khru-
shchev's principal themes at the
summit. II one can judge from his
pre-eonference letter-writing.
Unless the King Of Jordan takes
matters into his own hands and
attacks Iraq, the foundation
stones Of the Soviet propaganda
position have now been swept
away.
The Soviet dictator must cast
about quickly for something TO
use as a substitute. II Is entirely
possible that in order to fight the
battle Of words on even terms,
he viii feel obliged TO -esort to
a peace plan for the area as q
whole. thus opening up the pos
sibility for a genuine negotiation.
ironing Own Plan
The West is busily framing its
own plan for Middle Eastern
peace. One important feature. ac-
cording to the best information
here. will be a promise Of assis-
lance to the area in economic
development, that is, in the con-
structive use Of such natural re-
sources as oil and water.
A really far-reaching opportu-
nifty TO build q better life might
so absorb the energies and at
tention Of Arab nationalists as
to make an asset rather than
peril out Of their zeal, 1t is said
here.
Obviously there must also be
some provision for a political set
Element. everyone agrees. How one
could be built is not so clear. Pre-
sumably 1t would have to based
on some brand of naturalization.
some means Of Withdrawing the
Middle East from the cold-war
arena.
Soviet diplomats have limited to
neutrals privately that they would
be prepared to negotiate on this
basis, and the hints have been
allowed to leak" Meanwhile, on
the western side. q Canadian plan
for neutralizing Lebanon as q Kind
Of test tube experiment is East
gaining popularity in Washington.
London, and elsewhere in the
West.
One means Of protecting a neu-
tralized Lebanon from what Secre-
tary Dulles has defined as the
principal peril-indirect agrees
sion--would be q permanent, or
quasi-permanent U. N. police
force. There is serious talk about
q proposal to this effect at the
summit.
With both East and West be-
ginning to think in terms Of q
neutral belt in the Middle East
and the Arabs themselves having
long been In favor of such a solu-
tion--a pattern for negotiation is
beginning to emerge.
Were the Middle East to be
set apart from the cold war, and
given the tools to do what it
really wants to do, that is, to
raise its standard of living, a
wholly new era could open up. In
the new atmosphere, it might even
become possible progressively to
chip away at, and eventually to
solve, the Arab Israel problem.