The United Nations Security Council will resume tomorrow its consideration of Israel’s complaint on Egypt’s blockade of the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aqaba against Israel-bound shipping. A resolution on this issue will be presented at tomorrow’s meeting by the representative of New Zealand.
A draft of the New Zealand resolution, circulated among the members of the Security Council, expresses “grave concern” that Egypt has not complied with the Security Council resolution of September, 1951 to end the Suez Canal blockade and calls upon Egypt to do so in the future. The resolution calls on Egypt to drop the blockade “in accordance with its obligations under the United Nations Charter.”
As to the Gulf of Aqaba complaint, the resolution refers it to the Israel-Egyptian Mixed Armistice Commission and notes that its action is “without prejudice” to the September, 1951 resolution. The resolution fails to set up any machinery under which Egyptian compliance or failure to comply is reported back to the Security Council.
The resolution is known to have the support of the Western Big Three and is believed to be mild enough to avoid a Soviet veto, since the USSR has always affirmed the freedom of international water ways. It was drafted in this fashion to avoid the possibility of a Soviet veto as a gesture of friendship for the Arab States. It was reported here that the Egyptian delegate at the UN has met with Soviet delegate Andrei Vishinsky.
(In London, fear was expressed today that the Soviet Union might veto the New Zealand resolution. This feeling was based on the fact that the Soviet Union and Egypt agreed yesterday to raise their legations in each other’s capital to Embassy status, British observers and officials pointed out that it is unlikely that Moscow should put its relations with Egypt on the highest plane on Sunday and support an anti-Egyptian resolution in the Security Council on Tuesday.)
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