The United States, Britain and France will supply arms to the countries of the Middle East “for defensive purposes only.” it was stated here today in high official circles. A decision to this effect was reached by the Foreign Minister of three Western countries at their talk here last week on Middle East problems.
Well-informed sources said today that French Foreign Minister Antoine Pinay told Israel’s Foreign Minister here yesterday that the Western Powers would not abandon Israel. At the same time he is reported to have hinted to Mr. Sharett that there is no unity among the Western “Big Three” on overall Middle East policy. It is noted here that while Britain’s Middle East policy is hinged on the Bagdad Pact, to which she adheres, France remains aloof to the pact.
The French and Israel Foreign Ministers spent more than thirty minutes in discussion of the Arab-Israel problem Later in the day, M. Pinay saw the ambassadors of six Arab states jointly He asked Mr. Sharett and the Arabs alike to renounce the use of force in settling their differences. Mr. Sharett explained to ## Israel’s view of the recent raid into Syria which he stressed was a purely local incident. At the same time, Mr. Sharett, who was attempting to get a better idea of the Big Three toward the recent Egyptian-Syrian military #ct stressed that the existence of this new Arab alliance made Israel’s arms need even more urgent than before.
The French Foreign Ministry has issued a statement here in connection with reports that France had protested to Israel about the Israeli action against Syria. France, the statement said had not protested, but had, rather, expressed its regret at the incident some sources here said today that M. Pinay expressed disapproval of an extremely aggressive statement issued this week-end by the Syrian Embassy in Paris. The Syrian statement said “Israel has no moral personality which is valid internationally. Born out of aggression, she will perish of aggression.”
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