Britain Will Continue Arming the Arabs; Hits Suez Blockade

The British Government does not recognize the legality of the Egyptian blockade of the Suez Canal or any other waters leading to Israel ports, Anthony Nutting, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, declared in the House of Commons today during a debate on the Egyptian shelling of the British freighter S.S. Anshun at the entrance to the Gulf of Akaba this week-end.

The government spokesman in Commons, however, insisted that the incident was not a justification for ending the shipment of arms to Egypt or the other Arab states. In the face of questioning by Emanuel Shinwell, member of the last Labor Government, Mr. Nutting said that arms were supplied equally to both sides in the Middle East, within the terms of the Tripartite Declaration of 1950. He drew laughter from the House when he said that arms shipments to the Arab states were “for their defense.” He added that arms shipments to the Arab countries do “not in our view assist or encourage them to carry out illegal activities.”

Earlier, Mr. Nutting had informed the House that the British Charge d’Affaires at Cairo had been instructed to protest the incident, in which the ship had been damaged by Egyptian shore batteries. He said Britain reserved the right to compensation.

Mr. Shinwell, who had requested the report on the Anshun, then noted that this and similar actions by the Egyptians were “illegal and in violation of the resolution passed by the United Nations.” Was it “wise.” he asked, for the government to continue to export arms to prevent them from undertaking escapades of this kind#” Mr. Shinwell stressed that the British Government, the House of Commons and the United Nations had, time and again, condemned such illegal acts by Egypt.