Middle East “major Focus of Danger,” Eisenhower Reports to Congress

President Eisenhower, in a report to Congress today on United States participation in the United Nations during 1958, termed the Middle East “a major focus of danger” but avoided direct reference to the Arab-Israel issue.

Mr. Eisenhower termed the continuation of the United Nations Emergency Force on the Israel-Egyptian frontiers an important action. He recalled his own proposals “to prevent a new arms race spiral in the area.” He credited the UN with achievement of a peaceful solution involving preservation of the independence of Jordan and Lebanon.

The President did not mention the continued anti-Israel blockade of the Suez Canal by Egypt in defiance of UN resolutions. He noted the UN impetus to a regional Arab development bank. He said this undertaking “could mark the beginning of a new era of economic cooperation and progress in the area.”