Eisenhower to Meet Nasser; U.S. Backs Egypt for Security Council Seat

The State Department plans no restrictions on the movements of President Nasser of the United Arab Republic during his stay in the United States as head of his country’s delegation to the United Nations, it was indicated here today.

Plans are being made for President Eisenhower and Secretary of State Herter to meet with Mr. Nasser in Washington, or New York, or in both cities. State Department sources said today that it was reasonable to expect Nasser to raise the Israel issue when he talks with President Eisenhower.

At the same time it was revealed by authoritative State Department sources today that the United States will support the election of the United Arab Republic to a seat on the United Nations Security Council. These sources said it has been decided here that the United States could not oppose the placement of the UAR on the Security Council because of American relations with the Afro-Asian bloc.

(From Jerusalem it was reported today that Premier David Ben-Gurion last night told a group of Americans visiting Israel in a State Department seminar studying the Middle East that he had no intention of attending the UN General Assembly despite Nasser’s doing so.)

The State Department explained that, because the Nasser regime is backed for the seat by some other regional countries, the United States had “no alternative” but to accede to the “regional choice. ” The UAR is slated for the seat to be vacated by Tunisia.

State Department sources said that UAR defiance of the Security Council on the Suez blockade, the maintenance of a technical state of war against Israel, and similar factors were weighed, but a decision was nevertheless taken to tacitly approve the selection of the UAR as a new member of the Security Council.

Mr. Nasser will attend the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 20. It will be his first visit to the United States. Sources in the State Department pointed out that “further improvement” is sought in U.S. -UAR relations, and it was hoped American agreement on addition of the UAR to the Security Council would have this effect.

Rep. Seymour Halpern, New York Republican, said today that President Nasser should be required to comply with United Nations decisions, including lifting the Sue Canal blockade against Israeli shipping, before the UAR is given membership on the UN Security Council,

Rep. Halpern said Nasser’s visit to the United States afforded an opportunity to confront him with his “continued arrogant, defiance of the United Nations on the Suez issue. ” He added that Nasser discriminated “unfairly, not only against Israel, but against the shipping of the United States and other free world UN members who seek to lawfully trade with Israeli ports.”