The British Government is considering reaffirming its adherence to the tripartite declaration guaranteeing the borders of Israel and the Arab States, in connection with the current Anglo-Egyptian negotiations for evacuation of the Suez Canal zone and recent threats by Egyptian officials to resume the war against Israel once the British are out of Suez.
This statement was made today in the House of Commons by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Selwyn Lloyd, in reply to a number of questions on the relationship between Israel and the Anglo-Egyptian talks. Mr. Lloyd told the House that although no formal British-Israel talks had taken place on the Suez situation, Israel had generally been informed of developments in the Anglo-Egyptian negotiations, along with other interested governments.
Mr. Lloyd stressed that the tripartite declaration–by the United States, Britain and France–would be implemented, if the need arose, regardless of the status of the Suez area. He added that Britain sought to maintain good relations with all the states of the Middle East and said that the British Government was attempting to “alleviate” the situation in that region, although he differentiated between what he called active and public attempts to achieve peace. The impression he gave was that the British Government was trying to promote the cause of peace, although not in a public manner.
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