A significant future role for Pakistan in the Arab-Israel situation was indicated here in the wake of detailed conversations involving Prime Minister H. S. Suhrawardy and President Eisenhower. The two leaders discussed the roles their nations could play in bringing Arab-Israel peace.
Prime Minister Suhrawardy revealed yesterday on a national television program that he was “afraid there is no other alternative” but for the Moslems to accept Israel’s existence as a fact of life. He said. “The Israeli problem has got to be solved if we are ever going to be certain about peace in the Middle East. I think that it is the duty of all persons of goodwill to do whatever they can in bringing about the solution.”
Outlining what Pakistan and the United States could do, the Prime Minister said “they could bring the two parties together; they could try and reason with them.” He suggested that the United States could act as an individual mediator. He thought that Pakistan would also be willing to be a mediator. He admitted that Pakistan has opposed recognition of Israel.
Mr. Suhrawardy said he thought “that the creation of Israel was wrong. But after all, ” he added, “there is Israel, and everyone realizes there must be an agreement between the Arab world, between the Arab nations that resent the existence of Israel, and Israel itself. Now an agreement of this nature connotes that they recognize the existence of Israel, that they recognize that if there is an agreement between the two parties, then one of the parties is not exterminated.”
He said be was “afraid there is no other alternative” than for him to advise all Moslem nations to accept Israel as a fact of life. Defining the role Pakistan desires to play in the Moslem world, he said: “All that I have been wanting to do is to bring the Moslem world together so they can sit down at the same table, discuss matters amongst themselves… These disputes which exist between the member nations may be resolved, with regard to international disputes we may be able to put forward suggestions which may help to resolve them.”
(In Israel, Premier Suhrawardy’s statement that he is willing to act as mediator between Israel and the Arabs received a mixed reaction. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said it represented progress inasmuch as it indicates that a Moslem political leader sees the necessity of advising other Moslem leaders to recognize the existence of Israel. “It is to be hoped that the realization of such necessity will also be adopted by Arab leaders,” the spokesman said. However, he added that Israel feels that any Arab-Israel talks should be direct and not through a third party.)
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